


Parallel Hearts: A Parallel Legend of Zelda

by Firebird_X



Series: Parallel Legends [2]
Category: Super Smash Brothers, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:25:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 102,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3488219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firebird_X/pseuds/Firebird_X
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A thousand years after Parallel Symphony, a new Hero has defeated Ganondorf and the Twilight. Adrift after Midna and Ilia "let him go," he finds new purpose at the castle and with Zelda, until an old enemy threatens the Twilight Princess...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Twilight, Princess

**Author's Note:**

> _Lady Firebird notes: This work is still a draft, but I accidentally posted it and can't figure out how to change it back. We're not done adding notes and cleaning up formatting yet. Please keep that in mind if you decide to read the story now._
> 
> Wow. I have fans. Thank you, everyone who's had so many kind things to say about Parallel Symphony.
> 
> Nevertheless, it behooves all writers (even fanfic writers) to keep their fans happy. And I saw one request more than any other: "We want the Twilight Princess!"
> 
> . . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Prologue: Twilight, Princess

Midna slumped into her throne, fist pressed into her cheek as she stared out at the small cluster of so-called advisors trying to decide who would bring her the latest report on how her Realm was faring. _Bored._ She took a long, deep breath, grimaced, and released it. _Bored, bored, bored._

"Your Royal Highness," one of her ministers said softly. _Gustaf? No, Daltus,_ Midna realized. _I named Gustaf for that flap of..._ The princess' thoughts ground to a halt. _It reminds me of the cap. Of him._

She forced herself to think about who sat in her throne before her. _Boredom's a small price to pay._ She nodded to Daltus. "Please, Daltus, begin."

Daltus ducked his head in mild embarrassment. _Still think a name's 'beyond your station?' Hopeless,_ she thought, but forced herself to straighten and give him the attention and respect her advisors deserved. _It was they who maintained my Realm while I was...indisposed. I can do this much, at least._ He cleared his throat. "The Shadow Falls are at 70 capacity. We're still just barely able to provide nourishment for our people, but we're no longer using up our reserves. Twilight bridges are still under construction." He cleared his throat, embarrassment growing. "Only two completed since my last report, Your Highness."

Midna forced herself not to bare her teeth. "Those bridges are vital, Daltus. It's been _three months._ Without them, we are nothing more than a collection of isolated islands floating in the void."

"We know, Your Highness, and you have been tireless in aiding the effort with your Shadow magic, but..." Daltus swallowed and looked at Gustaf, then turned back to her. "The charm-engineers are still recovering from Z...the traitor's mental dominion."

Midna nodded with fierce reluctance. "Their finely-tuned minds were damaged by Zant's control." Daltus jumped slightly at the mention of the usurper's name. Midna forced herself not to groan. _I'm the one who forbade..._ "You have my permission to use his name in my presence, Daltus, you and Gustaf alike," she said, keeping the reluctance from her voice.

"As you wish, Princess Midna," Daltus said with a bow. "The Sols, at least, are at full power. It is simply a matter of distributing that power."

 _I know,_ Midna thought with annoyance, but again stilled herself. It was becoming more of an effort. "What is being done about the engineers?"

"Their dole of Twilight drink has been doubled." Daltus frowned. "Our psychics are attempting to delve into their minds, but have had little success. I fear this may not be mere accident."

Midna considered this, but shook her head with unhappy honesty. "Zant was many things, but that level of folly was beyond him, I think. He would not have deliberately sabotaged Twili he saw as his own servants. No, I imagine that was mere incompetence."

Daltus nodded and moved to continue, but a low wail interrupted him from the Sol field. _Alarm!_ Midna realized, leaping from her throne and racing through the halls. Her stunned court followed as quickly as they could, and the lot of them ran to keep up. Reaching the balcony in short order, she looked out to find a handsome young man with lavender hair and eyes much like her own casting miniature tornadoes around him, sending her people scattering. He looked up a moment after she spotted him, and smiled at the sight. "Ah, you must be the Twilight Princess I've heard so much about."

His clothing was mostly shades of blue and purple, his tunic a touch darker than his hair and his cloak and cap a bluish violet. Short crimson breeches ended at the knee, where like-colored sandals wound down his lower legs. _Nice legs, too,_ Midna thought with a faint grin. _Not as handsome as Li–_ Again, she forced the train of thought to stop, her grin vanishing. "And you are?" she asked coolly.

"Surely you recognize the greatest wizard Hyrule has ever known?" he asked, spreading his arms expansively, his smile broadening.

"I know Zelda quite well," Midna replied, her smile returning as his vanished. She leaned forward. "You're cute enough that I think I'd remember you."

"As skilled as Zelda is, rest assured she is no match for me!" her visitor said hotly. "I have overcome her before, and I will again!"

 _Overcome...wait._ Midna looked away, tapping her finger on the rail. "Wind magic...lavender hair...that's right, you're that stalker, the one who chases Zelda across incarnations..."

"Stalker?" the invader blurted.

"Right, right..." Midna snapped her fingers absently. "Valley!"

"VAATI!" The Wind Mage had gone from outraged to apoplectic, floating in the air and shaking both fists at the Twilight Princess.

Midna shrugged. "Sure." Vaati fumed, lightning crackling around him. _Time to stop playing with him._ She let him see her focus on his apparent threat. What she didn't let him see was her taking hold of the ancient magic of her tribe. "So you're after Zelda again. I happen to like Zelda. Obviously, you're not here for tea."

"Just as Zelda wields the Light Force, you command the Shadow Force," Vaati hissed, all pretense of politeness quite dead. "You will yield your power to me, or I shall claim it."

Midna laughed. Again, Vaati boggled, outraged. "You cannot be serious! 'Yield your power or I shall claim it?' Are you joking? He is joking, isn't he, Gustaf?"

Gustaf cleared his throat nervously. "I don't believe so, Your Highness." Electricity played around Vaati's twitching fingers.

Midna shrugged. "Oh well. Too bad, though. You really are quite handsome." Vaati drew himself up importantly. "You don't hold a candle to the Hero, of course, but who does?"

Lightning shot down from black clouds of twilight all around them. Thunder roared like a thousand angry lions. Vaati's eyes burned with murderous red flames, and his body stretched and grew until he was taller than Midna, with a horned headdress much like her own and a jeweled, sideways eye dominating the front of his robe. "You will regret," he snarled, once the thunder subsided, "mocking the supreme Wind Mage. I am Vaati Reborn, _girl,_ and you will submit...or you will suffer!"

"Oh look, he wants to play," Midna quipped. She concentrated briefly, and the seven great limbs of Twilight energy flowed from her back. "Nice to have something interesting happen for a change."

"Interesting," Vaati growled. "I'll show you interesting, _girl."_ He soared into the air, meeting her gaze. "And you can't fool me with those pathetic pseudopods. I know full well that Ganondorf destroyed your Fused Shadows!"

Midna's smile turned predatory. Though she no longer had the one fang, she could almost feel it pressed against her lower lip. "Then attack. Surely, if I'm a mere 'girl' with only illusions as my defense, the mighty Wind Mage can defeat me easily."

Vaati screamed. Four burning red eyes appeared around him, and they all unleashed their fury on the Twilight Princess. At the same time, the sorcerer threw lightning bolts at her with abandon. When the conflagration dimmed and vanished, Midna raised an eyebrow at the stunned wizard. "Not bad. I felt that." Her grin lost all humor, and the terrible Spear of Twilight formed in one massive arm of energy. "My turn."

She thrust the Spear at the wizard, and all four eyes moved to deflect it. They shattered. Again, Vaati screamed. It was a satisfying sound. When she aimed at the Wind Mage himself, however, he vanished. "Hmph. Spoilsport." She folded her arms and grinned. "Daltus, do you think the mana unleashed in that battle might help restore Shadow Falls?" The stunned advisor nodded. "Good. Set a few sorcerers to the task. I'll see to the charm-engineers. Perhaps I can help." She glanced back at the Sol field. "Oh, and keep a constant watch for Valley."

"Vaati, Your Highness," Gustaf replied with a touch of a quaver.

"Of course. See to it." Midna walked off, whistling her favorite tune. _Our friend the Wind Mage may just help restore my Realm._ Her good humor faded. _And the more he focuses on me, the less he will threaten...the Hero...and Zelda._


	2. Part I, Chapter One: A Link to the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter One: A Link to the Past

"Hah!" Link called out, and Fado's goats responded as always. Occasionally stubborn, they nevertheless filed into their pens with a little prodding.

"An' that's it for the day," Fado said, watching from the far end of the field. Link rode over and dismounted, looking Fado over. _At least he doesn't look at me like I'm going to sprout a halo any second. Or horns._ Nevertheless, Link could see the uncertainty in the ranch owner's eyes.

"Everything all right, Fado?" Link asked as mildly as he could. It was an effort to keep the growl from his voice; it always seemed like that now, as if he'd never be wholly rid of the wolf within. _It wouldn't be so bad if I could still change, but I can't, not without..._ He thrust the memory from his mind. _No. It's over. I'm just Link the goatherd again, and that's the end of it._

Except it wasn't, and Link knew it. From the look in his eyes, even Fado knew it. "Well, I guess, if you're okay with herdin' these stubborn old things after...you know."

"Trust me. All I want to do is get my life back to normal." Link looked into the distance, into the west, where the sun was setting. _Why does this time of day always have to hurt now?_

Fado chuckled, clearly missing Link's mood. "Can't be easy with them Castle Town tourists comin' to gawk at your house like it's a Temple or somethin'. Not that Sera minds the business."

Link nodded and carefully mounted Epona again, his back aching slightly in memory of several hard landings, none of them his. "If anyone from the village is looking for me, I'll be at the spring."

"Ah." Fado grinned and rubbed the side of his nose with one finger. "Gotcha." Link smiled gently at that. _That's something I don't mind him picking up on._ "You gonna wear somethin' nice?"

Link's smile vanished. "I'm going to clean up first, if that's what you mean."

"Well, I was just figurin,' that's a pretty nice tunic ya..." Fado trailed off, swallowing. Link tried to smooth his face over, but he could tell it hadn't worked. Fado cleared his throat. "Anyway, good luck."

"Thanks," Link said with a nod, then rode off. _Calm. Calm down, "Hero." This is going to work._ He waved absently to Jaggle, and more deliberately to Uli, smiling and nodding to her as he rode through town.

He stopped at the gate to his home, three strange girls peering up the ladder. "Wait," he muttered, and all three leaped up and stared at him with wide eyes. "I remember you three. Purlo's game..."

All three squealed, ran around him and Epona, and darted away down the path. "Uh-huh," Link sighed and rode Epona into her stable of sorts and dismounted. "Here you go, girl." He rubbed her neck, leaving her to her dinner while he climbed into his house to take care of his own business. Quickly washing off and eating, he pulled on another set of good, solid Ordon garb and went out to brush Epona off. _Even you're trying to get me moving,_ he thought with a faint grin when Epona nuzzled his arm back. "I need you to look your best, Epona."

The horse snorted at that. "Hey, I look all right!" Link replied defensively. The mare eyed him evenly, then pointedly went back to her grass meal. "Gee, thanks," he said dryly.

Then a familiar sight spiraled from a nearby tree – it was the blue fairy that had accompanied him during his quest to rescue the children and stop the invasion. "Hey there, Navi," he quipped, holding out one finger. The fairy alighted on its tip. "You kind of like it when I call you that, don't you?" She flew up again, bobbing in a sort of nod, just like the Hero of Time's partner from his favorite tale, _The Legend of Zelda and the Ocarina of Time._ Link chuckled. "Well, I may not have been raised a fairy prince by a secret tribe of wood spirits, but I sure don't mind the company." He thought he heard something from the magical creature's tiny voice, but couldn't really be sure. _Hey, maybe the Great Fairy can help. With the Kokiri and the Sacred Tree gone, if the legends are right, she's probably the only one who can help me with my friend here._ He smoothed his hair quickly, then reached into his pouch and drew out the necklace.

'Navi' flew around the Triforce symbol. "It's supposed to be real gold," Link said quietly, "a gift to my grandmother from the royal family. Some service she performed for them." He held it reverentially in his hand for a moment, then pocketed it again and mounted the great horse. "Hyah." Epona trotted down the old path, and within moments, he was there, staring into the spring. Ilia was playing with a horse reed, the setting sun bringing out the gold in her hair. Fairies fluttered gently around her, giving his lifelong friend an enchanted glow.

Link swallowed. _Suddenly, twilight doesn't seem like such a bad time after all._ Dismounting carefully, he reached into his fairy pouch and checked the necklace again, then took a deep breath, gathered his courage – _Triforce of Courage, right,_ he thought, trying to make his heart stop galloping – and strode in. "Ilia."

Ilia looked up in slight surprise, then smiled sadly. "Hello, Link."

His heart felt caught in a Goron's grip. _That's not a good sign._ Link took a quick breath and stepped closer. "You...you look beautiful."

It was the gods' honest truth; she was stunning in that moment, the spring glittering behind her like a jewel, the rose-gold light shining around her. That only made it more painful when she looked away. "I...thank you, Link, but...I didn't ask you here to..." she pressed her hands together nervously.

Impulsively, Link reached into his pouch and pulled out the necklace. "I...Uli told me this used to be my grandmother's."

Ilia's eyes went wide, and she reached out a trembling hand. For a moment, the young Hero's heart soared. Then, though, she pulled it back with reluctance so obvious Link couldn't miss it, even as stunned as he was. "Link...you're the Hero of Time."

"I'm _not,"_ Link replied more hotly than he'd meant. Ilia looked at him with open exasperation. "I'm just a goatherd! I did the duty the gods asked of me, but Mid – the Twilight Princess did half the work, Zelda wielded the Light Arrows, I spent half my time being knocked around as an animal!"

Ilia caressed his cheek in an all-too-familiar gesture. _"You'll come with me...won't you?" But you don't want me coming with you any more...neither of you._ She smiled more sadly than ever, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "You _are_ the Hero, Link. The Hero reborn. You have the Triforce of Courage on your hand, you pulled the Master Sword, you beat monsters and dragons and even the kings of evil. _Two,_ where even the Hero of Time only had to beat one."

Link swallowed again. "Ilia...all I wanted, through that whole nightmare, was to come home. For it to be over."

"I know you wanted to save us," Ilia replied firmly, "but that's not all you wanted, is it?"

"Wh – what?" Link blurted.

Ilia waved dismissively. "I'm not talking about Midna. I don't blame you for that." Link exhaled in relief. She took a shuddering breath and pressed on quickly. "But you went all over Hyrule, just like you always wanted. You've seen things that are only legends to the rest of us, done things that are like fairy tales, or, or miracles. You're bigger than Ordon now."

"Bigger than – my head's not that swelled," Link shot back.

In spite of the tension, Ilia chuckled. "Indeed not," she replied gently, taking the hand holding the necklace and closing it. _I wish that were an unfamiliar feeling,_ Link thought bitterly, suppressing a sob as his heart broke for the second time. "You're modest to a fault. Hyrule needs you, Link. Hyrule needs its Hero, and you can't do what you need to do if you're here...herding goats, for Farore's sake."

"You can come with me," Link said desperately. "We can visit Renado, see Zora's Domain and check on Ralis, go to Snowpeak..."

Ilia shook her head. "I'm an Ordon girl, Link. I belong here." Footsteps echoed in the distance, and she perked up, seeking them out. "Besides, there are others who need you...more than I do."

Link took a breath to argue again, but let it go. He put the necklace back in his pouch. _It's breaking her heart, too. So, why? Farore, why?_

"Heeey!" Link heard, the familiar voice coming with a familiar face. The postman jogged into the spring, seeming as tireless as ever. "Link?" he asked, reaching into his bag.

"Is there another Hero here?" Ilia quipped dryly.

Link sighed and held out his hand. "I have a letter for you," the postman said, as he always did _(pointlessly,_ Link thought uncharitably), and handed the Hero a folded parchment of obviously superior quality. The very ink seemed golden, almost as if the message had been engraved. It was sealed with a wax Triforce symbol.

He looked from the letter to Ilia. "You knew this was coming, didn't you?"

"So did you," Ilia said softly. She brightened a touch. "Unless you forgot those guards in Telma's Bar."

"I'm sure the Princess wants me to serve the kingdom," Link admitted, breaking the seal casually, "but she can't mean for a goatherd to...to..."

_Noble Hero,_

_It is with deepest humility that we send you this request. While we understand and sympathize with your desire to return to the life you had known, the fact remains that you are Hyrule's greatest warrior. While Ganondorf has been truly slain at last and the Twilight invasion undone, much damage to the kingdom's defense remains._

_We are all too aware of the burden we ask you to bear. Were it a choice between friends alone, we would leave you to the life of simple peace you deserve more than any other. Yet we must place the needs of our land first, and so we must implore you to come to Castle Town. Here, it is our hope that you will serve as Captain of the Guard and First of the Knights, and take your rightful place as the Hero of Light._

"Hero of Light?" Link gasped.

"Hero of _what?"_ Talo blurted.

Link and Ilia spun around, and the sound of a slap was followed by Talo rolling out of the bushes on the ridge surrounding the spring. Beth and Colin followed, Beth looking chagrined and Colin looking annoyed and disappointed. "I'm sorry, Link," Colin said with a grimace. "By the time I found them, they'd already been listening for a while, and I figured you and Ilia would appreciate the quiet now more than..." he glared at Talo. "Not that he could manage even that."

Talo rubbed the back of his head and glared at Colin. "Gets hit by a Bullbo once and thinks it makes him king of the hill..."

Colin raised an eyebrow as he stared coolly at Talo. "What was that, Talo? I missed it."

"Nothing, Colin," Talo muttered. "Sorry, Ilia, Link." Then he started jumping up to look at the letter. "Is that from Princess Zelda? Let me see!"

"Talo!" Beth blurted. "For Din's sake!"

Link sighed. "It's all right, I guess. Hang on a minute, though, I wasn't finished." He glanced back down at the letter, knowing full well how it would end.

_We await your reply, and pray you will choose to return to Hyrule's service. This is not a royal command; we have no right to impose that on you. If you feel that you cannot commit yourself to a life among the nobility, we understand, but ask that you make this sacrifice for the sake of this land, blessed by the goddesses._

_With honor and respect,_

_Zelda, Crown Princess of Hyrule_

"You're not just a goatherd," Ilia said, her previous indecision gone with the fading sunlight. Link's azure fairy lit the letter to make up for the encroaching nightfall, and he felt unaccountably betrayed. "You're the Hero. You're the Hero, and Hyrule needs you."

 _I would have said no,_ Link thought, but swallowed the pain and emptiness he felt. _I would have said no, for you._ He didn't mention being ridden in a way he never would have done to Epona, or fighting small armies of monsters, or questing from one end of Hyrule to the other to find the broken pieces of her memory. _She's suffered enough._ Link took her hand. "If you ever need me," he said instead, "all you have to do is ask, and I will come." Grimacing then, he took a quill from his pouch and blew on the feathered end. Ink welled up in the tip, and he wrote on the blank space left by the fold:

_The Hero will always come to the aid of the Princess._

Folding it the opposite way, he handed the letter back to the postman. "Give this to Her Highness. I will follow shortly. I just need to pack."

The postman saluted, hummed the Hyrule March as badly as ever, and turned to dash off. Talo stepped in front of him, though. "Hey, aren't your sandals wet?" the boy asked.

Chuckling, the postman squished his toes in the thin layer of water. "Are you kidding? The healing magic of these springs is the only reason I don't have blisters on my blisters! Well, my business is concluded! Onward to mail!" He ran around Talo and took off, moving as quickly as Epona herself.

Without another word, Link strode off, leading Epona behind him, and headed for what would be home for only a few days longer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Almost there, Your Highness," the guard called over.

Princess Zelda nodded, glancing at the two women riding beside her. Ashei was all business, glancing around them, occasionally fingering her sword. Impaz chuckled, patting her palfrey and guiding it closer to the princess. "It will be good to see the heavenly Hero, will it not, Princess Zelda?"

Zelda nodded absently, examining the woods around them. The Bulblins and monsters had fled the land, and Hyrule's fields had healed more quickly than its people, but there were still threats abroad. _And while Telma and Ashei are somewhat unfair to them, my guardsmen_ could _use some, ah, additional training._ She glanced around at the six guards who had accompanied the small train. Four of them rode closer to the pair of wagons than was strictly necessary. They almost seemed to be huddling near them. _I shouldn't be able to see the rear guards past the wagons,_ she thought with a sigh. The two forward guards were barely five paces ahead. "It will indeed, noble Impaz. It will indeed. I but pray that Hyrule's need of him will not be pressing for some time."

"Oh, I'm sure you can count on him, Your Highness," Impaz replied with a gentle chuckle.

"I know I can," Zelda said, almost whispering it.

From the foremost wagon, Telma laughed. "Honey, if Link said he'll do something, it's already done. There's just the time between him deciding it'll be done and the job realizing there's no fighting it."

Zelda couldn't help a chuckle at that. "There is that," she admitted freely. "He's truly an amazing man."

Impaz's smile broadened, but the elderly Sheikah said nothing. Zelda briefly wondered if her 'caretaker' was planning something. _No. She and Ilia are friends._ The princess glanced at Ashei, then Telma, finally looking down at her reins. _It's good to have friends._

"Halt!" One of the guards ahead shouted. Zelda held up her hand, the entire train stopping, and concentrated, calling a miniature ball of Din's Fire to her hand.

"With respect, sir, I'm not moving," a young boy's surprisingly mature voice replied.

"Well...good! Because we've got you covered!" the guard replied. Ashei glanced meaningfully at the princess, her expression clearer than words: _I warned you._

Zelda sighed, released the flame, and spurred Medley forward so she could see what was going on. She grimaced. _I give up. They're right._ There, hands folded before him and standing with respectful attention, was a short blond boy with a child's blade and wooden shield on his back. The two guards had their weapons pointed at the lad, spearheads trembling. "Great Nayru, put those up," the princess said, forcing herself not to snap at the two. It was a near thing, and indeed their response was quick and startled enough that she wasn't sure she'd succeeded. "Please forgive my overprotective guardsmen, young warrior." She regarded the boy briefly, and a pair of descriptions flickered through her memory. "I beg your pardon, but are you Colin, son of Rusl?"

Colin nodded, bowing and dropping to one knee. "I am, Your Highness," he said gravely.

"Please rise," Zelda asked, and he obeyed at once, returning to his obedient stance. "Would you kindly lead us to the Hero?"

"An honor, Your Highness," Colin said, and turned around to lead her train. The boy walked briskly, her men following with some trepidation. _At least they're not shaking,_ Zelda thought, forcing her expression to placidity. It didn't take long for the group to reach the end of the narrow path to the small clearing, and there they found the Hero's house.

 _Nice,_ Zelda decided. _A little big for a young man on his own..._ the princess looked down sadly. In every known incarnation of the Hero, he had been orphaned at a young age. _The perfect size for two Hylians of modest means starting a family,_ she realized, then stilled her thoughts. Looking around more intently, she saw the Hero's horse, Epona, waiting patiently in a nook next to the house. She was looking at a small pile of chests and boxes with some small confusion. "Link!" Colin called up. The soldiers retreated to the wagons, Telma throwing them glares that bordered on outright contempt.

"Coming!" Link shouted back. "But isn't that Fado's...line..." his voice trailed off as he stuck his head out the window. Even from that distance, the princess could see her Hero's eyes widen at the sight of the group she'd brought. "Be right down!" he said quickly, voice squeaking a touch, and vanished again. Zelda hid a smile behind a polite turn of her hand while thumping and scraping sounds emanated from the house. She winced at the sound of glass shattering, Ashei snorting and Telma chuckling wryly. After a minute or so, Link stumbled out of his house carrying another box, then looked down the ladder ruefully.

"Can I help, Link?" Colin called up.

Link shook his head. "I can manage," he said, just a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"You had the rope before," Colin replied gently.

The Hero grimaced, looking around. A grin appeared suddenly, and he summoned the Claw Shot to one hand. "Allow me," Zelda said quickly, gesturing. Link stared in amazement at the box as it floated down at the princess' command to join the others.

He leaped down then, rolling with the landing, then brushed himself off, looking dismayed at the small spots of green and brown that bloomed on various portions of his Ordon clothing. "Gods, Link," Colin whispered, though not quietly enough to evade Zelda's Hylian hearing.

"I know, I know," Link whispered back. Then he stood and instantly flowed into a smooth bow, dropping to one knee and lowering his head. "Your Royal Highness," he said formally, ignoring the soldiers' half-lowered spears.

Zelda did not ignore them, glaring at the men for the fraction of a second necessary to make them put up their weapons. Once she was convinced the guards were suitably chagrined, she leaped from Medley's back, strode to Link's side, and gently guided the astonished Hero to his feet. "You need never bow to me, Hero of Light," she said earnestly.

Link folded his hands in front of him, cleared his throat and lowered his head. "As you wish, Your Roya–"

"And please," she continued, a hint of a smile around her lips, "call me Zelda."

"Call you – I..." Link swallowed, looking up sharply. The guards looked a touch scandalized, though not nearly as much as the Hero. Colin, mercifully, merely looked impressed. Impaz nodded approvingly, while Telma and Ashei...clapped hands in the air, what the princess had heard the lady knight call a 'high five.' _Those two!_ Zelda thought, though the exasperation was fond enough. Link brightened suddenly. "I'll make you a deal. I'll call you Z...Zelda," he said with obvious effort, "if you stop calling me 'Hero of Light.'"

Zelda couldn't help but laugh at that. "Done," she replied, grabbing his hand and shaking it before the astonished Hero could react.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 _That,_ Link thought with amazement, _is an incredibly beautiful sound._ He realized he'd never heard the princess laugh before. It was almost musical, reminding him distantly of Midna.

The Hero blinked. _That...that didn't hurt._ He hadn't flinched away at the memory of the other princess. _I'm not sure what that means._

"I told you!" Talo called out from his gate, and Link sighed heavily. "See? It's the princess!"

In seconds, most of Ordon was gathered in his little yard, chatting and staring in equal measure. Rusl was the only one of the adults who dared approach Zelda, bowing in the formal manner of a knight before asking about the progress of rebuilding in Castle Town. Uli was slowly but relentlessly mothering Ashei, and that brought a smile to Link's face. The blunt, implacable knight was looking distinctly overwhelmed for the first time in the Hero's memory. Telma and Sera were talking milk, of all things, and even the guards couldn't be intimidated by Hanch. The children had formed an excited knot around Impaz, who was reporting to them with what seemed endless patience about their friends in the quickly repopulating Karariko and Prince Ralis' progress in his aquatic kingdom.

"Okay, that's enough, you lot," Link said, shooing the trio away from Impaz.

"But _Link!"_ Talo whined. "You've hardly left Ordon since you got back! We wanna know about Renado and Luda and Barnes and Ralis!"

"And Malo?" Beth teased.

Talo snorted. "Yeah, right." Colin turned to look at Talo, seeming ready to say something, then chuckled and shook his head.

"Oh, don't you worry about me," Impaz said, waving the Hero off fondly. "I haven't had children to dote on in more years than I care to remember."

Link nodded and backed away, heading towards Princess Zelda. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught Mayor Bo's arrival. Wearing his finest garb, the mayor was approaching the princess formally, with a package under his arm. _That's not the sword,_ Link thought with a touch of curiosity. _I delivered that after dealing with Ganondorf._

Forcing away his amazement at the thought of _dealing with Ganondorf,_ the legendary King of Evil, he walked over to Telma. Sera had moved on to chatting up one of the guards, trying to sell him various wares. "Hey," Link called to the Gerudo with a grin.

"Hey yourself," Telma replied with a wink. "How's life treating you?"

Link looked around, the astonishment returning in force. "I'm trying not to think about it," he said wryly. Telma laughed outright at that. "Come on, Telma, everyone thinks I'm second coming of the Hero of Time. It's a little strange."

"Honey, you _are_ the Hero of Time reborn," Telma quipped. Link grimaced and scratched his hair. His powder-blue friend chose that moment to appear, swirling around him. The barkeep's grin broadened at the sight. "Gerudos know a thing or two about the Hero, you understand."

"I grew up on stories of the Hero, Telma," Link noted evenly. "Gods, I was named after him. When...I lost my parents..." He indicated Uli with a sideways nod. "Uli was like my second mother. I'd fall asleep to the sound of her reading _Minish Cap_ or _Ocarina of Time_ to me." His equanimity faded then. "It's a little hard for me to believe that I could be that same man."

"You check your left hand lately?" Telma said pointedly. Link's expression flattened. "Yeah, you don't get the Triforce of Courage livin' in you by accident. You beat Zant, saved Zelda and slew Ganondorf himself. I think you've lived up to his legacy."

Link's features softened, and he glanced back at Zelda. _The Triforce of...no. Childhood fantasies, 'Hero.' Don't get carried away._ It hadn't escaped Link's notice that Ilia had not joined the crowd. Strangely, that didn't hurt either. _If that makes it easier for her..._ He looked at Telma again. "Well, I'm no Gerudo King or fairy prince. I'm just a goatherd from..." Link's head whipped around at the sight of Zelda telekinetically loading his luggage onto one of the wagons. "Your H- Pri- Zelda, what are you doing?"

"Simplifying matters," Zelda replied gently. Link shook his head while Telma laughed uproariously.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda watched the Hero as he examined the castle warily. _During his previous visits,_ she remembered sadly, _Link had some rather unfriendly welcomes._ The trip had been uneventful, she supposed. Some Bulblins had attacked, but Link dealt with them handily, and the Bulblin 'King' brought them to heel soon after. Ironically, her Hero had more difficulty with the ecstatic welcome he received from the people of Castle Town, ducking in reaction to their cheers. _At least he didn't try changing out of his Hero's garb again._

Now, though, Link seemed uneasy, unwilling to complete his journey. _I suppose that's no real surprise,_ Zelda thought, feeling a touch guilty. _Once he moves in, his old life will truly be over._ She touched his shoulder, and the Hero started in surprise, then turned. "Are you all right, Link?"

"I think so," he replied with an uncertain nod. "The whole thing just feels rather strange."

The blue fairy that reminded Zelda of the legendary Navi appeared then, circling around him, then landing on her shoulder. Link smiled gently at her faint blush. "I think she likes you."

"Where did you find her?" Zelda asked, peering at their tiny companion. This close, she could make out the faint feminine outline beneath the glow, but no more.

Link shrugged. "Find her? She just showed up one day. She comes and goes as she pleases. I called her Navi one day, almost as a joke, and she's been around pretty regularly ever since."

Zelda glanced sharply at the Hero, then looked back at the fairy. _Hm. Navi. I wonder._ Inspiration struck the princess with thunderous force. "Come with me." She strode forward, the few guards and courtiers in the courtyard daring a few amazed glances.

"Wh – coming, Your – Zelda," Link stammered, following quickly.

Zelda reached the great double doors quickly, throwing them open. Forcing herself to ignore the remaining wounds among the castle towers, she led the Hero inside. "Is it really so difficult?" she asked idly.

"It's..." Link's eyes fell to his feet. "It doesn't feel proper. Zelda."

"Proper." The princess smiled wryly and shook her head. "You fought from one end of Hyrule to the other, enduring dangers, horrors and cruel magics of every stripe. You saved my kingdom from tyranny and darkness, and myself from a possession that I cannot imagine being fouler." Her smile vanished. "I attacked you, and you rescued me."

" _Ganon_ attacked me," Link replied forcefully, looking up again. His confidence was enough, it seemed, to allow him to ignore the stares from amazed nobles. "And you were hardly a typical damsel in distress."

"Hmph. He used me as a weapon against all I hold dear. Give me crystal prisons or shadow bonds any day." Zelda shook her head rapidly. "I didn't bring you here to debate your heroism." She led him through another door and pressed her hand against a tile displaying the Triforce. A section of the floor unfolded to reveal a staircase. Link whistled, and Zelda's smile reappeared. "I came to show you something special."

Leading him downward, the princess watched Link's expression melt into amazement as sunlight streamed in through grates, reflected by mirrors, and the area grew brighter the farther in they went. "What...?"

"This place, this shrine if you will, needs to be kept secure, but the monarchs who built it were determined that it be a place of life, not a dark and dusty museum." She approached the lazy-seeming man leaning against the door, smiling and holding her hand up to him. "Festari."

"Your Highness." Festari made the countersign, grinned at the Hero, then vanished in smoke and Shadow.

Link gaped. "Was that..."

"A Sheikah," Zelda admitted. "Impaz was the last to watch over the old village, thanks to a prophecy it is well they heeded, but the Shadow Tribe yet watches over the royal family." She opened the door, and glanced behind to see him try to peer in. Hints of colored light played around her. "As sometimes happens, the ancient guardians' numbers have waned, but they are not in the danger they faced during the age of the Imprisoning War." Zelda strode in, basking in the sunlight reflected into the large, circular room, and the wonders about them. "Among their duties is the protection of this place, inviolate even during Zant's usurpation.

Link almost stumbled in, eyes locking onto wonder after wonder. The crystal that held the secret to the spell of Nayru's Love. The legendary Hookshots, short and long alike, wielded by the Hero of Time. The Lens of Truth, hints of ancient cracks visible in the sun's rays, rested in a case to his right; the Mirror Shield served as a central junction of reflected light to his left. Hover Boots lived up their name ahead of him, glowing and resting a few inches above a pedestal. Zelda watched him happily, the Hero stepping around the Hover Boots even as he stared. "They still work?" he asked, amazed.

"After a thousand years," Zelda replied. "Look in the center of the room, though."

He did...and froze. There, gleaming sapphire and almost radiating holy power, was the royal family's most sacred treasure, the Ocarina of Time. Resting in a crystal bowl sculpted to hold it, the top half was exposed, the better to catch the light – and the easier to use at need. With a gasp, he walked slowly, reverently, towards the legendary wonder. The princess could feel him asking himself if he dared touch it, but it was obvious that even Link couldn't resist. His fingers, trembling gently, brushed the Ocarina, and Zelda placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.

It was as if they'd been hit by lightning. Magic poured through them, and Zelda's eyes flew wide as her wizard's senses expanded beyond anything she'd ever known. #FINALLY!# the fairy on her shoulder said telepathically, though 'exploded' seemed a better term for her vehemence. #Stubborn, self-effacing Hero, just as bad as ever!# She swirled around Link wildly, azure sparks trailing behind her.

"N-Navi?" Link gasped. "I mean – I'm sorry, what – how – what's your name?" he asked quietly.

#I _am_ Navi!# she fired back, flying into his forehead repeatedly. Link flinched, but it was clear through Zelda's psychic senses that Navi wasn't really hurting the Hero. #Goat-herder, ha! Goat- _headed_ is more like it!# With that, she flew into his neck, hugged as much of one muscle as she could get her arms around, and sobbed gently. #I missed you, you dope.#

Link stood there, paralyzed. Zelda knew how he felt. _Great goddesses._ It wasn't the total union the legends spoke of, but she could feel them both, like bundles of thought and feeling in the back of her mind. After a moment, the princess cleared her throat. "Noble Navi, we are honored to meet you."

#Meet me? Come on, Zel, at least _you_ have to remember, right?# Navi replied, still clinging to the Hero's neck.

"The process of reincarnation changes much, Navi. Nevertheless, I hope this bond will see us all friends." Zelda bowed a fraction to the fairy.

#Oh, brother. You're both hard cases this time, huh?# Navi drawled. Zelda's eartips turned warm. #Well, this isn't the first time I've had to work on you two. I'm an old hand at this by now, even if our fairy magic's faded, between the Deku Tree and the Great Fairy.#

That got the Hero's attention. "The Great Fairy? I thought I freed her!"

#You did, Link, but there's only one when there should be at least three, she was imprisoned for years, and the only Deku Tree in Hyrule is a sapling in the Sacred Grove.# Zelda felt the fairy fold her arms and stare into the distance. #Farore, you couldn't tell it from the others right now. The mana flow's so weak I can't even amplify my voice.#

Link rubbed his forehead in astonishment. Navi finally released his neck, flying into his trademark hat. #Wow, your hair's clean!# The hat shook briefly, then went still again. #Mmm, nice. Lavender.#

"Gods," the Hero whispered. Zelda felt the connection to him thin to a hint of a trickle. She could still feel him there, know that he was well, if discomfited by the bond, but little else. "Um, Navi, I'm glad we can – talk – but I do have a job to do here..."

Navi chuckled. #I heard.# The princess' connection to the fairy remained strong, and she could feel a combination of frustration, happy memory, and grief so old it was almost gone. #Impa was worried what such a long peace would do to Hyrule's military.# The good humor returned. #Don't worry, Hero, we'll whip 'em into shape.#

"So you're okay with all this?" Link asked, looking up.

#Are you kidding? It's obviously going to take some time to deal with you two,# Navi sent, and Zelda suddenly felt a bit hunted, #but you're back where you belong, our bond has been restored, and that lousy Twilight's gone. And you know how to use shampoo.# Zelda felt a wink flicker from the fairy's mind, though she was almost certain Link hadn't picked it up. #For me, this is the Sacred Realm.#

Zelda forced rusty mental skills to serve her once more. #Navi, why...# she blinked. The Hero couldn't hear her. #...is something wrong with my connection to the Hero?#

Navi shrugged. #He's just shy, Zel. Well, that, and his psychic powers are practically nonexistent this time around the Wheel. Give him time, he'll come around.#

#Agreed,# Zelda replied with a nod. Then she returned her attention to the Hero. "Now if I remember, I was introducing you to your arsenal."

Link's eyes bulged. "My – ?" Navi and Zelda laughed as one. _Oh, I am going to enjoy this._


	3. Part I, Chapter Two: Shadows of Hunger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Two: Shadows of Hunger

Link examined the soldiers, walking down the ranks of armored men holding their spears with what they no doubt imagined was pride. _Gods. This is going to take some work._ Ashei strode beside him, shaking her head in disbelief. "You are the knights of Hyrule," he said dubiously.

"Yes sir!" they replied more or less as one.

 _Okay, that's a good sign. There is some discipline in there._ Link nodded, and they straightened, a touch of real pride reaching their stances. _Even better – it looks like I'm not going to get any 'commoner from the sticks' grief._ He reached the end of their lineup, then gestured for them to step back and apart. Ashei sucked in a furious breath when they stumbled around before spreading out. _Fire, Love and Wind,_ Link thought in renewed frustration. "All right, let's start with the most basic skill of the Hylian knight. How many of you know how to perform a Spin Attack?"

Three of them raised their hands, all slowly and diffidently. Ashei threw up her hands. "That's it. I say we bust the lot of 'em down to squire, bring up some Goron and Zora soldiers, and teach these pathetic –"

"Ashei," Link cut in carefully. His second clamped her jaw shut with obvious effort. _I wish I could call Rusl up, but Ordon can't be without both of us._ He looked the three men over. Their knees were shaking a bit, as were those of several others. "Let's see them."

The tallest of the three swallowed. "Sir?"

"Your Spin Attack," Link said, forcing himself not to grit his teeth. "Do it."

All three spun in place. Two of them didn't even manage a full circle, one falling over. The third soldier's spin was wobbly, but a hint of mana glinted on the edge of his spearhead, and he completed his circuit upright and facing the Hero once more. Link pointed at the thin, wiry man. "Congratulations, sir knight. You're my third in command."

"Third? Who's your second?" the knight blurted.

Link pointed a thumb at Ashei. The shortest of the soldiers, the one who'd been last to flee Telma's bar at the thought of protecting Ilia and Ralis, fainted dead away. "What's your name, sir?"

"Pierre, Lord Hero," the knight said, straightening.

For some reason, the soldier reminded Link of a scarecrow. _Well, maybe he can scare some training into this lot._ "Sir Pierre, Sir Ashei, start teaching this lot to perform proper Spin Attacks. Ashei, you're in charge." Ashei grinned ferociously, and a few of the knights half-sobbed in despair. "I'll be right back."

Ignoring the pleas of the soldiers and Ashei's blunt assessment of their skills, courage, manhood and general right to breed, Link strode back into the castle. "Navi?"

#If you were anyone else, I'd say it's hopeless,# the fairy replied. #But you're _not_ anyone else, so I'm just going to say it's crazy.#

"You're so comforting," Link drawled. _It's strange. I've only been able to talk to her for a day, and it's like we've been friends our whole lives._ He strode on, trying to ignore the stares and whispers as he passed. The grandeur of the castle hadn't dimmed from damage or time, but he resolved to ignore that as well.

#That's my job,# Navi sent brightly. #And come on, admit it, I ride a lot lighter than you-know-who.#

Link's throat tightened and his jaw twitched. "I suppose," he said quietly. Navi swirled out of his hat and glowed above the handle of the door before him, and he took it, entering the throne room.

Though there were nobles, courtiers and advisors strewn throughout the massive chamber, it still seemed almost empty. Even to Link, it was clear that Hyrule Castle had yet to recover from the invasion. Conversations quieted as he passed, the glittering fairy swirling around him.

At the throne itself, a woman in a cloak identical to the one Zelda had worn when Link had first seen her stood behind her. The cloaked woman was whispering, and quietly enough that even Link's Hylian hearing couldn't make it out. "Navi?" Link whispered himself, and the fairy darted away. He couldn't see the fairy, but knew that Navi had taken up residence behind one of the throne's legs.

"...Shadow Council does not appreciate or approve of resting all of Hyrule on the Hero's shoulders," the woman said harshly, if quietly. "You'll hear more about this, Impaz or no Impaz."

"I do not like it any more than the Council," Zelda replied firmly, her own voice barely above a whisper. "Hyrule comes first, however, and Link has more than proven his ability to bear this burden." Zelda let herself glance sidelong at the woman hidden in the cloak. "And Impaz has nothing to do with this."

"She is my grandmother, _Your Highness,"_ the woman said coolly. "Were it not for her faith in your abilities, the Council would have considerably more to say about your...track record."

Zelda straightened, and even as thin as he'd made their connection, the Hero could feel her irritation, and her worry. Link quickened his pace. "I have nothing but respect for the Shadow Council, Aryll," the princess replied, "but if they were able to accomplish more than I, I welcome their report on the matter."

Link reached the foot of the steps, bowed, and cleared his throat as pointedly as he dared. Aryll retreated into her cloak, face almost vanishing into the hood's shadows. "Am I interrupting something, Zelda?" he asked mildly.

"An excellent question." Zelda looked into the hood calmly. "Is he, my lady?"

The woman – _Sheikah, clearly,_ Link realized – shook her head, then bowed deeply to him. "Nothing that cannot defer to the Hero," she replied, fading into the shadows. She did not vanish into them, however. _Huh._

"Proceed, Link," Zelda said, gesturing in kind.

"Might we speak privately, Y – Zelda?" Link asked quietly.

Zelda looked across the vast throne room, clearly considering her options. _She doesn't want to look like she's hiding anything – knowing Zelda, she doesn't_ really _want to hide anything, either – but if we leave now, the courtiers'll worry that I've got bad news. Which I do. Great._

#Hey, last time you had to Hero around, you wouldn't have even figured that much out already,# Navi sent encouragingly.

#The advantages of being raised in the land instead of as a faerie prince?# Link sent back. _Hey, I did it!_ He sighed, realizing that he hadn't sent his next thought. _Aw, nuts._

#Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it,# Navi replied sympathetically. Then she giggled. #As for that whole faerie prince thing, remind me to tell you about Mido some time.#

Link's eyes widened before he could master himself. _Mido the Champion? The warrior-king of the faerie host?_

At that, Navi laughed outright. #Warrior-king! Ha! He'd love that, the self-important lout!# She bobbed in the air, and Link felt her reconsidering in the face of his stunned disbelief. #Well, okay, he's gotten a lot better in the last thousand years or so. He's kinda grumpy lately, what with Saria having to – wait, Zelda's ready for you.#

The Hero looked up, realizing in amazement that their whole 'conversation' had taken little more than a second. Zelda smiled then, standing and offering her arm. "That would be most delightful, my Hero. Shall we?"

Link forced himself not to sigh at the snickers and whispering he heard from the court. _Clever. I'm not crazy about it, but it'll definitely keep their minds off what the goatherd has to say about military readiness._ He rose, taking her arm in his own. "I would be honored beyond words, my Princess."

Zelda nodded, then gently led him off, Aryll trailing silently behind them. "Court is hereby adjourned," Link heard behind them in the gentle voice of a young man.

"Whew. That was some fast thinking, Zel," Link said emphatically, letting her lead him through the corridors. He glanced briefly at 'Biggoron's Sword,' curiosity itching as much as ever, then gave the princess his full attention. "Very convincing, by the way."

"It wasn't exactly a chore, you know," Zelda replied, smiling knowingly and holding his arm a touch more closely. Navi giggled in his mind; Aryll snorted in what sounded like annoyance. _Fire, Love and Wind._ Link swallowed his next comment while the princess continued. "All the same, you didn't approach me in court for a casual stroll, however beautiful the day."

The Hero exhaled in annoyance. "I won't say they're hopeless, Zelda, but they need considerable work. They have some discipline, mercifully, but their martial skills are lacking, and we've seen what a real foe can do to their morale and formation alike." He grimaced at one of the decorative suits of armor. "Of those that call themselves knights, only three claimed they could perform a Spin Attack – and only one could actually do so," he admitted reluctantly. _I wonder what the ghosts of the old knights think of their order's sorry state._

Zelda drummed her wrist with her free hand, but otherwise remained placid. "How long do you think it will take to restore them as a fighting force?"

"Months," Link admitted with a sigh. "Maybe years. We should ask the Gorons and Zoras for whatever military support they can provide." He gripped his chin. "A recruitment drive wouldn't go amiss either. We could definitely use some new blood."

The princess considered this briefly. "Recruit every willing Hylian you can find, Link, but the Gorons and Zoras have suffered from the invasion as well. I'll not weaken them for our own sake."

"Hyrule stands and falls as one," Link replied with conviction. "Let us unite our militaries. I've seen the power, skill and bravery of the Gorons and Zoras alike. Any enemy would think twice to face us as one." Aryll made an indistinct sound.

#Whoa!# Navi blurted. #What did you have for breakfast, Bullbo meat?#

 _Hyrule's always been strongest when it's been united,_ Link thought, but he still couldn't manage to duplicate his earlier contact with Navi. _Oh, sear me._

Meanwhile, Zelda looked the Hero over appraisingly. "Wise words, Hero, yet what could we offer such an alliance? How do we ask Darbus and Ralis to share their might when we can give so little in return?"

Link exhaled. _That...is an excellent question._ He bowed his head in defeat, but looked up quickly. "I wish I knew, Princess, but I will find an answer."

"So formal again," the princess replied with a sly grin. At Link's dubious expression, she chuckled. "You called me 'Zel' not ten minutes ago."

Link's eyes bulged. "I...I couldn't have – could I?"

#"That was some fast thinking, Zel,"# Navi replayed in his mind. Both ladies laughed as he blushed. _Yeah, it's going to be that kind of day._ Link considered his position. _For about a month._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"SEI-YAH!" Link roared, whirling like a hurricane. Golden force exploded from the edge of his blade.

"Huh-yah!" The knights cried out, more or less as one. About a third of them managed to stay upright, but only half of those actually performed a proper Spin Attack. The majority fell over.

Ashei pressed her face into her palm. "Gods preserve us."

"Give them time. They're improving," Link noted calmly, walking over to help the dizziest of the warriors to their feet.

 _Indeed._ Zelda nodded to herself approvingly, watching from the recently-repaired walkway between the main castle and the southwest tower. _Their improvement over the last two weeks has been remarkable._ Fifteen days after the Hero's arrival, the knights were still rather hapless, but not at all hopeless. Even the stubby Sir Mako, once the poster child for cowardice among the knights, was showing signs of potential – he was one of the third who'd managed to stay upright, even if he hadn't actually performed a Spin Attack.

"I'd love to," Ashei retorted caustically, "but I doubt Hyrule's enemies will be so charitable." In spite of the lady knight's cutting words, she was helping men up as readily as the Hero himself.

Even so, Link gave her a dubious look. "Enemies? What enemies do we have with Zant and Ganondorf undone?"

Zelda frowned slightly. With a gesture, Farore's Wind carried her to the warriors' side. "Vigilance, my Hero," she said quietly. Link and Ashei stood and bowed as one, the knights around them following suit quickly, if clumsily. "Hyrule thought itself secure until Zant brought Twilight into our kingdom. There may yet be other villains waiting for a sign of Hylian weakness."

Link bowed again, more deeply this time. "Of course, Princess. Forgive me."

For a moment, Zelda thought to smile and tell the Hero to think nothing of it. _After all, what are the true chances of..._ her musings trailed off as a dark chill shot through her. _Nayru, what...?_

Instantly, the Hero straightened. "Get them to the walls," he whispered to Ashei, "but quietly." He looked away for a moment, expression thoughtful, while the lady knight nodded. "What do you think, defensive layout one?"

"Agreed," Ashei said, then strode to the gathered warriors. "Formation, you louts," she said in what she must have imagined to be a stage whisper. "To the walls, first shield."

Link turned to the princess then, bowing. "Any sense of what you..." he grinned wryly. "...sense, Princess?"

"Your instincts are remarkable, Hero," Zelda replied, feeling almost a bit disembodied. That brought with it an unpleasant feeling of deja vu. "Something foul is coming. I sense...hate, more than anything else, and with it a desire, a hunger – almost a need – for revenge."

The Hero nodded, turned, and walked briskly towards the throne room without another word. _Great Wind, more courage than sense..._ Zelda thought with a sigh, then hiked up her skirts slightly and jogged after him, but before she caught up with him, a reverberating crash slowed her nearly to a halt. She walked up to Link, who had stopped just past the hall entrance, and watched as the great doors shook from what must have been another blow. The assembled nobles of Hyrule had frozen in place, staring at the doors. The cold, sinister feeling of history repeating itself intensified.

As if they had been waiting for that moment, the few nobles remaining in the great hall panicked as one, screaming and running in all directions. The princess stepped forward to bring them to order, but Link placed his fingers against his lips and whistled so piercingly that Zelda had to cover her ears. The wild scramble of nobility stopped as quickly as it began. "Good," Link called out. Navi appeared beside him, hovering above his head in a slow circle. "Now, everyone head briskly, but _calmly,_ for the rear exits. Go."

They went, Link moving forward as the nobles retreated. Zelda trailed in his relentless wake. "Please, Hero, be careful," she cautioned, calling a flicker of Din's Fire to hand. Link merely nodded, then drew the Sages' Sword and pointed at a balcony. From the floor, Zelda heard the soldiers he pointed at swallow. They then released the bars, and the next slam sent the doors swinging open with a crash. Both Hero and Princess stared in amazement at what they saw.

A massive figure swathed in thick brass armor strode in, Gerudo symbol staring at them in menacing crimson. He held a studded ball and chain that dwarfed Link's, and spun it with a casual ease that betrayed staggering strength. #Farore!# Navi blurted. #That's Onox!#

"Wh-what? That's impossible! He's centuries dead!" Link gasped.

"True enough." Onox's voice echoed from the armor, as if he were deep inside it rather than wearing it. "We died long ago, yet our hatred lives on. Hatred for _you,_ Hero of Time."

Zelda frowned. _We? That isn't a good sign._ The princess glanced carefully at Navi. #I recall that Onox had a blueblood counterpart, a schemer of noble birth but base ambition.#

Navi nodded. #Veran, may the Evil Realm freeze her soul forever.#

#Let us leave judgement to the gods, friend Navi. For now...# Zelda floated over to and above her throne. "The Hero he may be, yet the Hero of Time is as long dead as you are, General. You should return to the Wheel and be reborn, find your place in Hyrule as it is, not as it was."

"Hyrule is weak," Onox said, his voice rumbling with a contemptuous growl. He gestured, and swirls of deep violet motes gathered, slowly taking humanoid forms. "Coddling peasants and knighting fools has left it as empty a shell as a spent Deku seed. But now, princess of peasants," he snarled, striding forward, "you shall reap the diseased rewards you have sown."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Link stepped in Onox's path, a determined scowl masking his roiling emotions. "That's not going to happen," he said quietly. Anger burned inside him, anger that echoed from another life. _Gods, I remember...something. Betrayal. War? Death. Who is he? Fire and Wind, who am I?_

#Repel evil now, philosophy later,# Navi replied quickly, appearing over the villain's head as a bright yellow dot.

"Right," Link said, hefting the Sages' Sword. It still felt odd, wielding the blade once held by Ganondorf, holding a weapon that had no weight of its own, but Link wasn't about to complain just then. _I need a weapon with a magical edge._ He watched the forming figures warily, and when he recognized what they were, even the Hero gasped. _ReDead. Gods be good._ He drew his bow and started firing bomb-arrows at the things, grateful that he'd never lost the habit of keeping fully stocked. Then he heard their distinctive wail outside, where Ashei and Hyrule's meager defense force was, and his blood turned to ice. _Fire, Love and Wind! Now what?_

Onox chuckled at the sight of the Hero's horror. "Yes, boy. Know defeat. Know despair. Let them be your guides on the way to oblivi – AARGH!" The undead general recoiled as Zelda's flames exploded around him.

"He will know nothing of the sort!" Zelda shouted. "Din's Fire! Link, you must go to the knights, lead them!"

"And abandon you?" Link cried out.

Zelda landed, face grim and sword to hand. "Do it! I command you!"

#Z-Zelda can take care of herself,# Navi said doubtfully.

Link's eyes darted between the shifting tableau of the battle and the open doors, and the deadly howl of the ReDead. _I can't leave Zelda – but I can't abandon Ashei or the guards, either!_ He glared at the back of his left hand. _Triforce of Courage, ha! Useless gold trinket..._

The symbol on his hand glowed, dimly at first, then more brightly. _Uh-oh. I think I made it mad._ Link held his hand as far from his body as he could – but when the light had become almost painful to look at, it shot from the room, and in the distance, the Hero could see the warriors on the battlements bathed in a golden glow. _I wish it did that for me,_ he thought, just a touch weary as he felt the Triforce's might hold the soul-freezing screams at bay. "I think they can manage, Princess," Link noted evenly, but his grin betrayed his relief. Then, with a wordless roar, he charged at Onox.

The armored titan spun his flail with incredible speed, but Link was faster, diving beneath the ball's deadly arc and performing a quick Back Slice on the traitor. Onox snarled, clearly stung, but turned to face the Hero with distressing speed and shot the ball and chain at him. Link summoned the Iron Boots and blocked the weapon with his shield, but every bone in his body shook with the effort. _And Nayru have mercy, his armor is as solid as ever,_ Link groused mentally.

Another blast of flame left the general reeling and much of his undead army literally in flames. Link grinned and nodded to the princess, who gave him a single, grave nod in return, but the ReDead marched on. _They won't even notice until they fall apart,_ the Hero thought with a sigh. He readied another bomb, but the Sheikah Aryll chose that moment to appear, now hidden not by the cloak but by the traditional Sheikah combination scarf/tabard. With a series of blindingly fast gestures, she seemed to fire needles into every joint Onox's armor had. A ReDead scream caught her for an instant, paralyzing her, but the Hero quickly grabbed her and leaped away, giving her the moment she needed to recover. The young lady's breath caught, and Link pulled down the scarf to allow her to breathe. He and Navi gasped as one.

The woman bore an uncanny resemblance to his mother. He only had one clear pictograph of her, but Aryll was almost identical. Only the red eyes were a distinct difference, fierce in the way they burned. The instant she recovered, Aryll became a blur, covering her face and leaping away in the same moment. #Navi...?# Link sent.

#Not a clue,# Navi replied, as stunned as he was.

 _Finally! ...aw, nuts,_ Link thought, again failing to repeat his telepathic success. He summoned his own ball and chain, intending to crush the ReDead, but Zelda stiffened in midair just after completing a volley of Fire bursts at the former general. He turned to call out to Aryll, but the Sheikah had vanished into the shadows. "Zelda?" he shouted instead.

"Cruelty...hate...a shadow is loose in the castle," Zelda replied shakily. She recovered in an instant, easily dodging a spinning cast of Onox's flail. "We will handle Onox, Hero. You must protect the innocent within the castle!"

Link thought to argue for a moment, but glanced at the door they'd come in, and felt it as well – a cold, sadistic thing of Shadow, swimming through the castle's dark corners like a shark that caught the scent of blood. He nodded and ran, believing (and praying) that Zelda and the Sheikah warrior were more than a match for the monster before them. Most of the Redead, at least, were gone; together, the trio had destroyed nearly all of Onox's unliving host.

#Can you feel it?# Navi sent through their bond, shivering. #Like a wolf's dying howl on a barren winter night...#

"A sort of poetry I could do without," Link replied, keeping his voice even while fighting off a chill of his own. He skidded to a halt suddenly, realizing that the chill was stronger than it should have been. "The shadows," he blurted, and held the Sages' Sword aloft like a torch.

#Too little, too late, little Hero,# a feminine voice laughed cruelly in his mind. It was unfamiliar for a moment, but then a beautiful yet cold and chiseled face appeared, a memory of a time long gone...

" _I warned you, Veran," the Hero of Time said, voice tinged with a touch of sadness. Resolve was by far the stronger element, though, as the invincible warrior strode past Onox's shattered armor towards the sorceress. "Your invasion is over."_

" _Look at you, Hero," Veran gasped, retreating towards the dungeon wall. Two floors beneath the keep she'd shared with Onox – the Hero shook his head at the waste of the brilliant general, his blood still spreading across the stone – the renegade noblewoman had nowhere left to run. "Maturity has turned you into a living god. Zelda is nothing without you. Think of what you could do, now, in the fullness of your power..." she licked her lips, not entirely in fear, "...and glory."_

_Link laughed. "For over fifty years now, I have lived only for Zelda and Hyrule. You couldn't seduce me when I was seventeen, Veran, what makes you think you can do so at seventy?"_

_She howled like a banshee and leaped at him, fingernails becoming claws and shadows slashing at him from every direction. One spin attack with the Master Sword destroyed the sorcerous shadows, and a bolt of magic from the Blade of Evil's Bane proved the sword's moniker true. Still, the Hero of Time shook his head sadly at Veran's unmoving body, eyes still filled with hate as they stared at the ceiling lifelessly. For all that, though, one glance at the cell that had held Malon cooled his sorrow. There could be no question that it had been necessary._

"Veran," Link groaned, trying to throw her Shadow off but completely unable to resist. She seemed nothing _but_ Shadow, now, able to take on a human form but with nothing of a soul's true merit to speak of. _She doesn't just want pain – she wants suffering._

#Indeed, Hero,# Veran sent, laughing again. Navi swirled frantically around Link, trying to support him, but the Shadow Sorceress was so contemptuous of the fairy's weakened magic that she ignored Navi completely. #A pity, really. If you could wield your mana, you could resist me. If you held the Master Sword, you could repel me. And if you weren't protecting those pathetic fools Hyrule calls knights, you could fight me off with the Triforce of Courage.# He couldn't see her; indeed, everything was growing dark as her Shadow wrapped about him completely, the fly to her spider. All the same, he could imagine Veran looming over him, regarding him with a mocking smile that was a parody of sympathy. #You could yet recall the Triforce, you know, fight me off, save yourself from the inevitable violation to come.# She 'leaned' closer, the sense of mockery growing. #All you have to do is abandon those idiots.#

The incredible hunger to do just that shamed Link to the bone. _No. I won't. I can't._ He flailed helplessly, Veran's sadistic glee intensifying. The Sages' Sword glowed impotently from the ground, where he realized with a shock he must have dropped it unawares. He felt for Navi, but the fairy had fled. _At least she's safe,_ Link thought, for once not feeling betrayed by another lady in his life leaving him. _Navi did everything she could._

#Yes,# Veran sent, redoubling her assault. Link dropped to his knees, not even feeling the stone floor as he fell. #Know fear. Know despair.#

"Courage," he gasped, barely able to whisper, "is the conquest of fear. Not its absence. And while I live, I hope."

#You will tear Zelda's heart from her bosom!# the sorceress raged, her amusement gone. #You will present it to me as tribute, that I may give you permission to die!# The cold hit him in waves, spikes of agony stabbing him everywhere. #Only then will I grant it to – AIIEE!#

All at once, light and warmth returned to the world. Link staggered back, snatching up the Sages' Sword as he retreated. Stumbling to the wall, his back against it, he could see his tormentor, a blue-skinned woman with an absurd caricature of hair swirling from the top of her head. With a turn of his head, he also saw his rescuer – a lithe, magnificent Sheikah boy with Navi circling his head like an angel's wrath given form.

 _Wait, not a boy..._ the Hero blinked. The Sheikah was holding a bow. The Light Bow. "Sheik?"

Sheik nodded ferociously. "Get away from my Hero," she whispered savagely, nocking another Light Arrow as it appeared from the mana.

Veran recoiled, slithering back into the fading shadows. #This is merely the beginning, Mask of the Princess,# the evil sorceress hissed in their minds. #You know nothing of our patron, but you will...you will, to your eternal sorrow!# With a strange, backwards explosion, Veran disappeared.

Aryll arrived with a sliding landing, staring at the Hero in horror. Link smiled, waved encouragingly at her, and collapsed, the numbing cold and stabbing pain finally overcoming him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda took the cloth from the bucket of heated water and placed it against Link's forehead. "Wake up, my Hero," she whispered. The princess had long lost track of how many times she'd spoken those words, praying to the goddesses that he would hear her.

"The cold of the Shadow is no metaphor," Aryll said quietly, leaning against the far corner from the pair. In the small healing room, there was little more than a bed, a table, a few stools, and a fireplace that roared with logs that filled it near to bursting. Still, the young Sheikah managed to keep all the distance the room allowed between them. "That the Hero lives at all is a testament to his resilience."

The princess swallowed and checked Link's pulse. "It wasn't so terrible as that," she replied softly. "Veran wanted him alive." She tugged pointlessly at the top layer of his covers. Navi hardly stirred, merely placing a microscopic hand against the Hero's neck.

"Yet he does not wake," Aryll replied, her own voice a whisper. "After three days, he does not wake." Both women were quiet for a long moment.

"I do not know why you hate me," Zelda said finally, unable to make herself look at her fellow Sheikah, "but you clearly value the Hero. If you can do something I cannot, I beg you, do it now."

Aryll seemed to shrink into the shadows, though she used no tribal magic. "I don't hate you any more," she replied. Zelda looked up at that in surprise. "I hope I never did. I'll admit I envied you near to madness, for your bond with the Hero. I thought you saw in him nothing more than a tool. Like her."

#Midna,# Navi snarled quietly.

Zelda shook her head. "That may have been the way of it at first, but the Twilight Princess saw Link's worth before the end." She placed a shaking hand on his arm, separated only by the layers of blankets. "I thought I knew his worth myself, yet I find now that I knew nothing." Her eyes tightened, and the princess fought off a sob. "All Hyrule's potions and healing do nothing. Why? What has that monster done?"

Aryll stared at the princess for a long moment, then strode up and placed a kindly hand on her shoulder. "He was without the Triforce of Courage. If he...if my brother lives, it is thanks to you."

"That's very kind – what?" Zelda's head whirled around. Navi shot into the air, and the Princess of Destiny could feel her staring as goggle-eyed as Zelda herself. "I thought Dampei was your father!"

"I felt my bond to the Hero from the moment I began following him," Aryll whispered. "I didn't know why until after he'd saved us all. I did know that Dampei found me as an infant." She stared sadly at the pale Hero. "He suspected who and what the Hero...what Link was, and took me in to protect me. The Hero was far too young to care for me himself. He probably doesn't even remember that Mother was pregnant."

"You were assigned to watch your own brother?" Zelda grimaced. "Why didn't they permit you to help him?"

Aryll shook her head. "It was no lack of permission. The power of the Twilight pressed me against the Shadow. I was always meant to help him, yet in his time of need, I was as helpless as you were. More – you healed Midna, at least." She pressed her lips together angrily. "He lived a nightmare, and I couldn't even be a memory for him."

"You mustn't blame yourself," Zelda replied quickly. "Zant and Ganondorf combined their power to the point where only the Triforce and the Master Sword could truly resist them. Even Link could do little until he reached the Sacred Grove."

Aryll stared at Zelda for a long moment. "You truly care for him." Zelda nodded immediately. "How," the Sheikah finally said, "could I ever have rejected you?"

"Good question," Link rasped.

All three women gasped in joy. #LINK!# Navi cried, slamming into his cheek and doing her best to hug him to death.

Zelda let out a long breath, relief flooding through her. "You gave us a scare, Hero."

Link grinned wearily. "Healing sleep. Learned it from Renado a month or so back. I figured you knew it yourself." His smile vanished when he stirred. The Hero leaned forward carefully, then slumped back into the bed. "Didn't think it would take this much out of me, though. It'll most likely be another day before I'll be at full strength. How long was I out?"

"Three days," Aryll said bluntly. Link winced. Navi giggled like bells chiming.

"You've earned it," Zelda cut in quickly. "I should have let you face Onox and hunted Veran myself."

"I never would have put up with that," Link replied, chagrined. "I would have wanted to protect you." He looked at himself with disgust. "That would have worked out well," he said, voice thick with irony.

 _Oh no you don't._ Zelda leaned back and crossed her arms. "I just got through telling Aryll not to blame herself." Link raised an eyebrow at that, and the princess could feel Aryll's relief even through the Sheikah's Mind Kata training. "I won't have you tormenting yourself for obeying my orders, or for wanting to do your duty." She frowned. "All the same, it's clear that you'll have to study magic of some sort, either psychics or sorcery. I'd prefer you become psychic, but the Hero's talents have always leaned towards spellcasting."

Zelda's heart shone like a small sun when Link brightened. "Magic," he breathed. "I always wanted to...Ordon doesn't have a lot of magic," he explained, "and once I was the Hero, well, I didn't think I'd have the time."

#Well, you're going to make time now,# Navi replied fiercely. #I'm not losing you when I've just found you.#

"Indeed you will not, Navi," Zelda agreed. Link chuckled and shook his head.

Aryll blinked owlishly at them. "Are you talking to the fairy?" she asked dubiously.

Hero, Princess and fairy all looked at each other, then laughed. Aryll merely crossed her arms and gave the trio her most disgusted glare, then vanished in a whuff of smoke and imploding air.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

### Interlude

"You will convince him to draw the Master Sword," Midna insisted.

Zelda nodded slowly. "It will most likely take time. The Blade has been a seal against evil for so long, there is much stigma in drawing it without apparent need. Even the Hero of Time left it in the pedestal in between his adventures, at least after the first few years of his reign."

Midna shook her head fiercely. "Not good enough. He's too vulnerable without it."

"Veran and Onox are somehow traversing the gap between dimensions." Zelda's lips flattened. "He'll fear that freeing the Blade will allow their 'patron' freedom as well." The light's Princess looked piercingly into her Twilight counterpart's eyes. "You still wish to keep that a secret?"

Power flared around the Twilight Princess, and she bared her teeth like a tigress. "I won't let him face danger for me, not again." Her ferocity dimmed, chagrin covering her like a shroud. "I've caused him enough grief."

"He deserves the truth," Zelda insisted.

Midna looked away. "The bond he felt with me was counterfeit. You should know that better than anyone, Keeper of Wisdom."

Zelda sighed. "Very well. I'll keep your confidence for now." She folded her arms. "I tell you again, though, I like it not."

At that, Midna laughed. "It's entirely selfish, I assure you. Navi would have my head if I let her near me again."

Zelda shook her head, then gestured. The hologram vanished, leaving Midna staring at a tiny shard of the Mirror of Twilight. The Twilight Princess sighed and waved at the speck, which flew into a small hinged box, similar to one for a ring – if a ring box were covered in Twilight circuitry and infused with the magic of the ancient tribe. For a moment, Midna indulged in her morbid mood, then let it pass. She grinned, almost missing her devilish fang for a moment. _If this is the best Vaati can do, we have nothing to worry about._

She strode confidently from her throne room, never seeing the blood-red eyes framed in Shadow. They watched her hungrily until the moment she passed through the door, then vanished.


	4. Part I, Chapter Three: Sacred Beasts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Three: Sacred Beasts

"Concentrate, Link," Zelda whispered. "Feel the wind blowing around you. Be aware of your surroundings, of the emerald power of Farore flowing through you in each breath, every heartbeat."

The Princess of Destiny could feel Link focusing. _Gods, they can feel him focusing in Ordon,_ she thought, trying not to let her amazement into her expression. _How can he_ not _be calling forth the mana?_ Slowly, carefully so as not to disrupt his concentration, Zelda wove her thoughts into his. She withdrew quickly, amazed at the storm of emotions swirling around his adamantine core of pure determination. "Easy, Link. It's not a fight."

"Perhaps," Aryll said softly, "that is his problem."

Link exhaled and opened his eyes. "I don't understand, Aryll. I'm not fighting the mana, I know better than that." He looked around, grimacing slightly at the field where he'd fought the Bulblin King for the last time. _It's not the day's fault, Link,_ Zelda thought, forcing herself not to sigh. A quick look of her own improved her mood considerably; it was an absolutely exquisite day, with a brilliant blue sky, a gentle breeze to moderate the shining sun perfectly, a handful of wispy clouds completing the tableau above. Around them, the emerald carpet gave them a soft, restful place to practice. The only others present were the guards far above, patrolling the walls, and Navi, whom Zelda could sense snoring daintily in the Hero's cap.

Aryll shook her head. "It is not a question of humility, Hero, not in your case at least," the Sheikah protector explained gently. "Yet there is a desperation in your drive to master sorcery that must make it difficult to...to..." she shrank into the wall's meager shadow. "...magic is slippery to words. Like catching water on a knife."

"You may have the right of it, though," Zelda conceded reluctantly. She looked the Hero over; he was clearly trying to hide how miserable his failure was making him. Incredibly, his vast breadth and depth of talent seemed to make him _more_ likely to feel inadequate if he did not acquire basic command of a skill almost immediately. _On the other hand, if he does not learn to call mana through him, and soon..._ The memory of Onox's second raid sprang to mind. They had been ready for Veran that time, but Zelda still felt a distant pain when her eyes flickered to the peeling skin on Link's left hand. He hadn't suffered from frostbite, but it had been a much nearer matter than anything Snowpeak had been able to throw at him.

Link's eyes also flickered to the nearly-healed wound. His frown formed in truth. "How is that a problem? I thought magic followed the will."

"Yes, but the mind is a slippery thing, even for one with as pure a heart as you," Zelda replied. The seed of a notion Aryll had planted in her mind had already sprung forth, and the princess suspected it would soon bear fruit. "Failure can breed doubt, Link. A swordsman of your caliber surely knows how a belief that your opponent is better than you can cause a quaver in your grip, a shift in your stance. And just as that imbalance can result in a swift disadvantage in a duel, so can it result in mana slipping between your fingers, like Aryll's water sliding off the knife."

"Farore. I need a spoon then!" Link huffed, his left hand tightening into a fist that was almost painful for Zelda to look at.

Aryll chuckled wryly. "It's a metaphor, Link. Don't get caught up in the imagery, it's the finger pointing at the stars. You can't read the stars if you're busy looking at the finger."

"You're almost there, Link," Zelda said encouragingly, placing a hand gently on the Hero's shoulder. Slowly, his fist relented. The princess carefully didn't wince at the impression his nails had left in his palm. "You have come farther in weeks than most apprentices do in years. I suspect the ancient master's sword training has something to do with that. Your techniques do have an echo of magic about them. All the same, the talent is there, in quantities that would make the average wizard's student turn the shade of your tunic." Zelda nodded suddenly. "You've learned to reach out, to call mana toward you. Only the last step eludes you, the acceptance of the flow. You merely have to learn to release the mana and let it move freely through you."

"Release it...I have to let it go?" Link asked dubiously. He stood. "That's not what it feels like. I keep feeling like I have to practically drag it into me."

"A lot of men get that," Aryll quipped. She shrank further at the flat glare she got in response.

 _You'd better tell him soon, Aryll,_ Zelda thought, then tamped the impatience down. After a lifetime apart, three weeks was little more than a moment. "Think of it as somewhat like riding a horse, Link. The best horsemen become one with their steeds. You barely have to touch the reins for Epona to know what you wish to do. You know better than to pull her around with brute force; you would either hurt her or get thrown. Nor will you get anywhere you intend, most of the time, if you simply mount and let Epona do as she wills."

Link looked down, away from the princess. "Balance..."

"Exactly," Zelda agreed forcefully. "Obviously, you cannot hurt mana, but too weak a grip is nearly as ineffective as too strong. Ride the mana and give it direction, and it will do as you will. Now, you learn to mount; spells will be your reins."

"And a skittish rider is even worse than a skittish horse," Link said ruefully. He twisted a single blade of grass between his fingers. "I –"

"Your Highness!" one of the few knights worthy of the title called down. Zelda looked up, remembering. _A warrior from one of the ancient family lines, named Senza after a heroic ancestor,_ she mused. Link was already on his feet, hand on the hilt of the Sages' Sword. "An unidentified rider approaches!"

"Status!" Link shouted up, already moving towards the gate.

Zelda followed discreetly behind the Hero. Aryll vanished into Shadow. A moment later, Aryll's father appeared. Despite the all-concealing Sheikah garb, Dampei was clearly an almost perfect human specimen, an ideal balance of muscle's power and limber speed. Of his actual body, however, only his eyes showed, burning an even more intense red than most of his tribe. He followed her with silent grace, existing as little more than a shadow himself, watching over the Keeper of Wisdom as had countless generations before.

"Rider looks pretty bad, Lord Hero," the knight called down. "Don't think he's a threat, but we're on alert just the same."

"Good," Link replied firmly. "Our enemies will try nearly anything at this point."

Zelda swallowed her sorrow at the thought. _We're going to the stranger's aid. Just because caution is prudent doesn't mean we've lost who we are._ Indeed, after a moment, her discontent vanished. Even under duress, whatever the skills of her knights or the vulnerabilities of the Hero, they all sought to help another in need. _That is unquestionably something to be proud of._

In seconds, they were past the gate and racing between astonished passers-by in Castle Town. People gaped and stumbled out of the way, bowing to a largely oblivious Link as much as the princess. Zelda nodded in reply to the best of her ability, but the Hero was merely trying to avoid them. By the time the princess had caught up with him, Link was already kneeling by the side of a young woman – little more than a girl, in truth – lying in Ashei's arms and gulping down water. Her red-gold hair was a tangled mess that had obviously seen better days, and her crude tunic and breeches were tan-brown and torn. Her horse was in little better shape.

It took her a moment to realize that she had the ears and tail of a cat. "Link?"

"No idea," he said, his tone perfunctory. The Hero was clearly more concerned about her state of deprivation than mildly unusual features. _Fair enough. So am I._ Zelda kneeled beside him and looked the refugee over. Her ribs were clearly visible, though the princess' mystic senses told her that, thankfully, the girl hadn't suffered from true starvation yet. Dehydration seemed her greatest problem. _And that's odd, considering she must have gone right past the Zora River at some point._ Zelda glanced at Link again. "Do you have a potion?"

Link nodded. "I just want to make sure she's hydrated first, so she doesn't gulp it down too fast." When the young lady nodded and held out her hand pleadingly, the Hero gestured. A bottle appeared in his hand, and their visitor gaped in shock. "Try to drink –" he began, then sighed when the girl snatched the bottle from his hand, uncorked it, and drank desperately. "– it slowly," he finished wryly.

"Help," she whispered the moment the potion was gone.

Zelda placed her hand gently on the woman's while she weakly handed Link back his bottle. "It's all right. You're safe now."

"No. My...my friends..." her eyes rolled to look behind her. "...last horse...beorcs hunt us..."

"Beorcs?" Link grimaced, looking up at Zelda, then back at the exhausted rider. "What difference does their race make?"

"...call us...subhuman..." she tried to sit up, but collapsed again. "They'll...kill us..."

Link was already on his feet, Ilia's gift to his lips. Zelda exhaled in fond exasperation. #Aryll.#

#Need you ask?# the young Sheikah replied, already swimming through Shadow with a Zora's speed.

Zelda nodded, then looked up at the Hero. Epona was already galloping towards them. "Be careful, Hero. I like this not."

Link glanced back, forcing his snarl into a roguish grin. "Come on, Zel, when am I _not_ careful?"

The thrill that ran through her body when he called her 'Zel' would not be contained even by Sheikah training. _Fire, Love and Wind, Link, don't do that unless you mean it._ Only the Hero failed to notice, of course, Link already heading for the powerful mare. "Wait," their guest gasped. "He can't mean to...go alone."

"He doesn't," Zelda replied, smiling back at her reassuringly, "but he's the Hero. He's more than he seems – far more."

"They chased us...across continents. Their hate knows no bounds." The cat-girl looked at the Hero with concern as well as admiration. _I'm just glad her strength seems to be returning._ "What can one man do against that?"

"Pity your hunters," Zelda replied firmly, looking back up at the quickly dwindling Hero. "The Hero will not, and that will be the end of them."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thunder echoed through the Twilight Citadel. Twili civilians ran for shelter in near-panic. Military mages formed ranks and linked shields. Gustaf and Daltus rallied the troops, and bolters readied their staves for fire.

Leaning forward in her throne, Midna planted her fist firmly in her cheek and glared. "Valley again, right?"

"Vaati, Your Highness," Gustaf replied in between barking orders.

"Right," Midna nodded. "Just hold him off for a minute." She stood and strode angrily toward the balcony. _That's it. Vaati was fun for a while, but enough's enough._ Her heart lightened to see her people grow more confident in her presence, but... _I still haven't earned that trust back._ She glared at the flashes of lightning hammering the force field ahead. _Time to do just that._ With a savage gesture, she cast the power of the Fused Shadows into the magic screen, bolstering them and returning fire through her tendrils. Raw force shot out, crushing emplacements surrounded by grim Stalfos and hateful Poes.

A raucous cheer echoed through the citadel when the last emplacement was destroyed. The Twilight Princess grinned with satisfaction. "Well done, Your Highness!" Daltus exulted.

"Naturally," Midna replied confidently, leaning against the railing to hide her relief. She peered down then, looking for the creature that tormented her people. Her brief smile vanished. _Where are you, you bloody Wind Mage?_

"Ready to take me seriously yet, Twilight Princess?" Vaati's voice echoed from every hill.

Midna scowled. The cheering died out instantly. "No. You're a joke, Vaati, no more worthy of respect than any man obsessed with a woman who does – not – _want_ – you!"

"Of course, this is a subject you would know nothing about," the Wind Mage retorted, voice echoing with sadistic glee.

Leaning forward, Midna let the fury fill her eyes. "I knew I did not belong and left! Even after lifetimes, you will not learn!" The barrier pulsed with the pure might of the Realm. _My might. My Realm._ "You are no longer even an _amusing_ joke, Wind Mage. Leave or be destroyed."

"Midna, Midna, Midna," Vaati chided, chuckling, "hasn't your pride gotten you into enough trouble?" In an instant, the princess' blood ran cold. _He wouldn't sound so arrogant, unless..._ she looked out on the courtyard with fierce determination, but found nothing. "My dagger is already at your throat."

That hint saved the Twilight Princess, if just barely. She leaped back, intuition screaming a warning an instant ahead of the attack. From where her shadow had been, a different Shadow emerged. Glowing red eyes led the way for a bulge in darkness, which burst to reveal a body. It was _him,_ Link, lithe and majestic as ever, yet clearly not Link as well.

Midna bit her lip. _It's not possible. He's even_ more _gorgeous._ Charcoal skin and ebon garb flowed with inhuman grace. Even by Twili standards, his hair was an astonishing black that seemed to claim light that strayed too close. His blade and shield, of course, were shadow-replicas of the Hero's, but somehow they approached the power of the Master Sword and Hylian Shield.

Only his eyes reminded her of the reality of her danger. Blood-red and burning with countless emotions, one was nevertheless in command: hatred. He hated her. _Is that good or bad?_ a far corner of her mind wondered. _Does he match the Hero's feelings, or invert them?_ Midna took a wary step back, Twilight magic curving protectively around her. "Shadow Link," she said prosaically.

"You think?" the Dark Hero laughed bitterly. "Vaati wants Little Miss Wisdom. You, though...you're mine." He pointed his sword at Midna, grinning ferally. "Once I have you, Vaati will lure Link and Zelda into his inescapable trap, blah blah blah. They'll kick his skinny ass, of course, but I don't care, and you'll like that."

Midna circled Shadow Link more carefully than ever, heading back toward the railing. "I fail to see our problem, then."

"You mean you don't mind spending the rest of eternity as my rag doll?" He laughed again, a maniacal edge to his voice. "Perfect! On your knees and beg for mercy, and I'll break you just enough instead of shattering you completely." The smile vanished, black teeth bared beneath narrowed, hungry eyes. "Your riding days are done, imp-girl. Today, the chain goes on the other foot."

In spite of herself, the princess flinched. "You're his pain, his anger and loss given form."

The Dark Hero snorted dismissively. "You figure that out yourself? Boy, you sure showed bright-boy who had the brains in that operation." He smiled again, mocking and derisive. "Oh, wait, which one of you solved all those puzzles?"

"Link, I know I mistreated you," Midna whispered, sliding carefully along the balustrade. She carefully didn't look at Daltus; her other senses picked up the Twili, ignored until then, quietly gathering to come to her defense. "If this is about me, though, spare my people, I beg of you."

"Heh." Shadow Link stalked casually toward her, padding with a cat's airy grace. _And I feel very mouse-like suddenly,_ Midna thought acerbically. "That'd work, except for one thing." He crouched. "I'm not really the Hero, now am I?"

"FIRE!" Daltus roared, and a hundred bolts shot at the Dark Hero. Snarling in frustration, Shadow threw up his shield, blocking the blasts yet being driven back by them. Midna quickly lashed out with her power, grabbing Shadow Link and pulling them both over the railing. "Your Highness!" the advisor cried out, running up behind them.

"Last chance," Midna hissed, the ground screaming towards them.

Shadow just laughed again. "Wanna bet?" he rasped.

 _Good point,_ Midna conceded mentally, then threw him away from the citadel at one angle, and flew away from it an a 90-degree angle from his. With a thought, she added a new harmonic to the protective screen. "Looks like I won't need your understanding after all," Midna drawled, floating to a stop above one of the Sols. The powdered remains of several Stalfos proved the effectiveness of their defenses. She permitted herself a faint grin.

"Princess Midna!" Gustaf called out.

Midna glanced warily back at her citadel, not letting her attention wander too far from the courtyard. "Keep those wards sealed, Minister! I won't let my people be enslaved again!"

"But what about you, Your Highness?" Daltus shouted.

The Dark Hero appeared from the shadows between crags in a nearby hill. "She's got her own problems, stooge," he rasped, not quite ignoring inky gashes. Midna lashed out with another tentacle, wincing in pain when a swipe of his Dark Blade reduced it to motes of mana. "That was a neat trick, Impy, but you shot your bolt." He shifted stance, and the weapons morphed into a bow of solid darkness. "My turn."

The arrow flew for her arm, and the depth of Midna's relief nearly spoiled her defense. _He's not trying to kill me!_ she thought, a protective tendril of power quivering as the arrow drove into it. "I don't want to fight you, Shadow," Midna replied, floating back carefully.

"Then surrender, because that's your only option," Shadow Link snarled. Midna sensed another pinprick of mana in Shadow, and Veran slowly uncoiled from another corner of darkness. "I wanted to take you down myself, but Vaati's not the patient type."

"I noticed," Midna said dryly. "On the other hand, I see something you don't."

"Which would be..." Veran replied mockingly.

"Option C." Midna crossed her arms in an X before her, and Twilight power swirled around her. The gap between dimensions yawned open, and she dropped into it.

Somewhere, Vaati laughed, and Midna cursed herself a fool a thousand times over. _What choice do I have, though? That shield won't protect my people forever, and I can't fight them all without help._ Guilt tore through her, but she forced it aside with the weight of duty. _And against such foes, only one sort of help will do..._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Link rode with abandon through the fields of Hyrule, Snowpeak looming in the distance. Even the great mountain thawed somewhat in the summer, and as Epona carried him along, brush gave way to ever-thickening forest. _Somewhere out here, the legendary kingdom of Marth the Great once stood,_ the Hero thought, a sudden sorrow taking him. Only a few centuries before, Altea had been Hyrule's greatest ally, yet in the span of a decade, the entire nation had vanished. _Hey, Navi, you knew Marth, right?_

#Hm? Oh, yeah, he was a good guy, even if he never got over how much better a record you had among the Smash Brothers,# she replied mentally, swirling out from his cap.

 _The who?_ Link wondered. _Never mind. Do you know what happened to Altea?_

#Beorc have shorter lifespans than Hylians,# Navi sent with a psychic shrug. #Altea declined. Their relationship with Hyrule suffered as their jealousy increased. Eventually, they migrated to Tellius. That's probably where our laguz friend is from.#

 _Laguz?_ Link's mood darkened even more. _Is that what this racial nonsense is about?_

#Sounds like it,# Navi agreed sourly. #If I remember Saria right, laguz are shapeshifters, humans born with a spiritual bond to a particular type of animal. It's not too different from Hylians' natural connection to mana.#

 _So?_ Link kept his attention on the forest ahead, carefully steering Epona through the trees. Zelda's advice flickered through his mind when he realized how right she was; he and Epona truly were one in that moment.

#So it's easy for people to hate things that are different from them. Hylian, Deku, beorc, Zora, laguz, Goron, doesn't much matter if you need something that's not you to point fingers at.# Navi brightened, both literally and figuratively. #That's what really makes Hyrule special. Sure, we have fantastic magic and advanced lore, rivers and deserts, mountains and fields, but the real reason Hyrule stands apart is the triumph of the Nohansens' vision. When you see a Zora, you don't think of a lesser person, just another citizen of Hyrule.#

 _Not everyone in Hyrule is so enlightened,_ Link thought darkly. An image of the half-dead Ralis sprang immediately to mind.

#Exceptions that prove the rule,# Navi insisted. #That doctor didn't have a lot of fans, did he?#

Link nodded. _We're close,_ he thought, slowing Epona to a fast trot. _Stay sharp._

The azure fairy swirled above him immediately. #Farore, you're good. I'm just sensing...holy Din, they're just kids!#

And they were; Link guided Epona into a clearing, and there were about a dozen children, most with cats' and wolves' tails but a few with wings. They were huddled together, holding sharpened sticks and waiting with frightened determination to resist something they apparently thought inevitable. They turned on him with terrified eyes, their sticks pointed at Epona. The great horse snorted. The Hero forced himself not to smile. "It's all right," he said evenly, dismounting with care and holding up his hands. "I'm a friend."

The children stared at him for a long moment. "Look," one of the younger ones blurted suddenly, "look at his ears!"

Before the Hero realized what was happening, he was surrounded by eager, stick-less children, tails and wings fluttering. "Are you a paladin?" "Is Lyre okay?" "Come on, look at that sword! He's a champion!" "What spirit do you have?" "That's gotta hurt, keeping your tail tucked in your pants..."

Link swatted down his tunic where one of the girls had lifted it. "I don't have a tail. Not like this, anyway. If Lyre's your redheaded friend, she's fine, she made it to the castle. I suppose I'm a champion of sorts; I'm the chosen Hero of this land, the kingdom of Hyrule, though the gods alone know why." Navi chucked in his mind. He ignored her assiduously. "Most importantly, though, if someone's chasing you, we need to get you to safety."

The children's eyes widened further, and they looked again to the north. Aryll appeared then in a whuff of smoke and wind, and the knot of laguz clung to him. "Easy, easy, she's a friend too." Link locked eyes pointedly with the Sheikah.

Reluctantly, she pulled down her scarf and beckoned the children to her. "Come, little ones. The Hero will deal with whoever hunts you." She kneeled, her expression softening. "I will reunite you with your friend."

The children glanced away again, then ran to Aryll. Link smiled. "Thank you, Sheikah." Then he turned, the children gasping as they reacted to the same thing he did. The sounds of clanking metal and stamping boots echoed through the mountain woods. "Go," he said simply, drawing the Blade of Evil's Bane and glaring ahead. "I'll deal with this."

Aryll clucked irritably; the children were moving back towards Link. "Come, I said. Let the Hero do his work. We mustn't be underfoot when the enemy arrives."

"But he'll be all alone!" the youngest wailed.

At that, Aryll chuckled. "More the pity for them. He'll have no others to fear for should they be foolish enough to engage him." The children gaped at the Hero then, but Aryll managed to herd them back along the path Epona had cleared.

Link felt mana tickle the back of his mind. _What, now?_ he wondered, then forced the thought aside. A soldier in red burst into the clearing, and Aryll shooed the children into the trees, cloaking them in darkness. Fortunately, the soldier's widening eyes saw only the Hero. "You," Link said firmly. "Explain yourself."

"I..." the soldier swallowed. "I serve Lord Izuka, whom Death Herself could not claim. D-defy me at your...your peril..."

"Death." Link's eyes narrowed, even as two more soldiers appeared. "I have seen more death than I'd like. If you're here hunting children, turn around and go home before I have to see more."

"That sounded like a threat, little man," the largest of the three barked, hefting some kind of axe-like polearm. "We're hardened Begnion soldiers, here to reclaim the ancient Altean homeland. Some kid with a shiny sword doesn't worry us."

"Easy," the woman among them said. "He's a Hylian, if the sages spoke true. Those are not the ears of a laguz."

Two more soldiers marched wearily into the clearing. The large man peered more intently than ever at Link. "Is this true, boy? Are you one of the legendary tribe of Hylia?"

"It's no legend to us," Link replied curtly. "Hyrule lies behind me, and as long as I stand, you'll come no closer to it."

"Peace, Hylian," one of the newcomers said. "We know we're beyond the edge of Altea. Yet some property of the Lord's escaped this way, and – " he stopped at the rage that blossomed across the Hero's face.

"Property?" Link whispered dangerously. Navi was a storm of fury above him, and she scarcely registered amidst his own outrage. "You claim to be the heirs of Altea, yet you spit on Marth the Great's legacy with slavery?"

"They're just laguz, boy," the large one grunted. "Sub-humans, no less property than that horse of yours."

"Epona is my friend," Link growled, the mana boiling within him, "and if it's a Beast you want, I just might give one to you." A part of his mind called him ten kinds of fool. _How do you mean to give them so much as a snout with Zant's curse long gone?_ Yet the claim felt right, deep within his bones.

"Hmph. I thought the Hylians were civilized," the large man said. "Take him."

Three of the soldiers circled him, but Link didn't even raise his sword. The smell of the greenery seemed to overwhelm him. He could almost taste the fear in their sweat, some echo of the Hero's memory warning them of the danger they faced. Five sets of wary heartbeats pounded in their breasts, a dozen tiny ones echoing them in kind behind him. Link almost wanted to laugh.

All at once, it hit him. _I've mounted,_ he realized. _Time to take the reins._ "Farore's Wolf!" he cried, a howl exploding from his throat. His body began the familiar change, but this time, there was no pain. Everything felt right, proper. Navi's amazement echoed dimly in his mind. The magic of the Sages' Sword filled him as it vanished into fairy space along with the rest of his garb and gear. The two-legs moved with a painful slowness. _Such easy prey,_ the Beast thought, snorting. Behind him, the children laughed and cheered among the trees before the alpha female could quell their chatter.

"Gods! He's a sub-human too!" the big one bellowed. _Like an old bull, strong but slow and dull-witted,_ the Beast decided.

#Don't get cocky, Link,# Navi said quickly, alighting gently on his neck in stark contrast to his previous rider. #Are you sure this is a good idea?#

#Fear not, Partner,# Wolf Link sent, telepathy coming as easily as his other senses. #You feel this circle I form in my mind? This will guide me into the enemies.# He created an image out of his memory of the Twilight Rider, the crimson power she'd wielded. With a feeling as certain as memory, the Beast knew Navi could create a like energy to serve that purpose.

Navi grinned. #Oh, I get it now!# She turned a brilliant green, forming a gently glowing circle of fairy magic in contrast to Midna's crackling Twilight power. He felt all five two-legs being bathed in its power. With a speed they couldn't begin to follow, Wolf Link rammed each of them in turn. Every one of them doubled over, falling to the ground.

#Can you warn them, Partner?# the Beast asked calmly, watching the two-legs groan and crawl back. One of the females was slowly regaining her footing.

#Sorry, Link,# Navi replied, more in sorrow than annoyance, #but my fairy magic is...is...# he felt her probe her resources. #...suddenly much stronger?# She flew up, hovering above his Beast mark. #Wow! It must be Farore's power flowing through you. Let me give this a try.# She cleared her throat. It was just louder than a whisper, but it was enough to get the two-legs' attention. "hello. gods, that feels good." The five warriors gaped at her. "hey! listen! you people better go away, unless you want to be wolf chow!"

They couldn't run, but they stumbled back into the forest, retreating as enthusiastically as their bruises allowed. The children cheered. Wolf Link turned and trotted back towards Epona, the beastlings, and the friendly Shadow-walker. Epona stamped nervously in place. &Peace, sister,& the Beast said in the animal tongue.

&This form is not natural for you, Link,& Epona replied nervously. &It is not truly wrong, as the curse was, but you smell of predator like this.&

Wolf Link snorted. &I would chew off my own leg before I would hunt you, sister, you know that.&

&Mister Hero?& One of the children called out. &Why is your friend upset?& Aryll looked down at the child, perplexed at the animal sounds she made.

&I am not like you,& the Beast explained. &This is sorcery, not your natural ability.& He sniffed the air. &Hmf. More come. Tell the Shadow-sister, Ar-yll, to lead you to the land the Goddesses formed.&

"Miss Aryll?" the girl said shyly, tugging at her tabard. "The Sacred Beast says we have to go back to your land."

Aryll sighed. "I believe I was trying to get you lot to do just that. Come." She guided them away, glancing back but once before ensuring the shadows would hide their path. Then she was gone.

#Um, Link? There's an awful lot of soldiers coming,# Navi sent, circling him nervously.

The Beast nodded. #Very true. I think the Hero's form will serve this battle best. I will take that shape once I've counted as many of them as I can.# The larger force had met the five he'd driven off; their attempts at whispers were nearly as absurd to the Beast's senses as their armor-clad attempts at stealth. Their commander was stupidly admonishing them for not dying; the specific words did not state that, but that was the ultimate meaning of his frustration. #We cannot fight them all off ourselves.# Navi's fright spiked in his mind. #Fear not; we will retreat once the children are safely away.#

They waited for a little over a minute, Wolf Link breathing so quietly even a hare would not hear him. #Link? How are we going to get away?#

The Beast chuckled in her mind. #Where is Epona, Partner?#

Navi looked around. Epona had trotted down the path, where she was waiting anxiously. #Okay, I'd bet on you out-riding any of those would-be Alteans any day. They are going to try to surround you, though.#

The chuckle grew stronger even while the soldiers approached. #I am sure they will.# Strangely, this reply didn't seem to quell Navi's concern. In short order, the soldiers began entering the clearing in small squads. When what he estimated to be a third of them could see him, Wolf Link howled, &Farore's Knight!&

His senses dulled, but his forepaws grew supple and limber. The Beast's body shifted and sprang up like a tree, and the soldiers recoiled just before Link knew himself again. #Whoa,# he sent, and though his mind's voice felt leaden and slow in this form, he could forge the connection at last. #That was...weird.#

The soldiers were pointing their weapons at him to the last man. The Hero sighed, sheathing his sword. "You probably don't want to do that," he said wearily.

A whipsaw of a man stormed in front of his men and glared at Link. "Are you this Hylian-laguz creature, this Branded with the shape of an animal?"

Link stared at the man unflinchingly, knowing immediately that he was the 'Altean' commander. "I am Link of Ordon, defender of Hyrule and Hero to the Keeper of Wisdom, the Princess Zelda." The commander folded his arms. Navi snorted angrily. "And yes, I can take the form of the Sacred Beast, by the grace of Farore."

"And a heathen to boot." The commander waved at Link dismissively. "Take him alive if you can – he'll fetch a high price – but kill him if you must." A dozen soldiers approached the Hero warily.

"Sei-YAH!" Link roared, drawing his sword and spinning once their axes were in range. The polearms snapped in half on every one of the dozen weapons, flying harmlessly away from the men. This time, the commander himself stared in amazement. "I don't want to kill any of your men, milord, but we don't tolerate slavers in Hyrule."

#Was it really a good idea to show them your Spin Attack so soon, Link?# Navi asked, truly worried now.

#I'm trying to prevent a bloodbath here, Navi,# Link replied sadly. #I don't think it'll work, but if I can convince them how bad an idea this is...# He grimaced at the sight of the commander's fury. "Fire, Love and Wind. For the last time, commander, don't do this."

"I gave you men an order! Kill hi–" the commander barked, his command stopping suddenly when a figure appeared behind him, summoning a dagger to the man's throat.

"I don't know who you are," the lithe young man whispered, and all eyes – and weapons – were on him in an instant, "but maybe you have heard of me. Name's Ranulf." The commander gasped. A blue tail lashed behind the youth. "You may want to reconsider this."

"Y-you animals don't stand a chance," the commander stammered. "Over twenty soldiers stand ready to..."

"Die?" An acerbic voice cut in, and an androgynous figure with flowing black hair to match his tunic strode into the clearing. He walked past the stunned soldiers with a casual disregard for the danger, his only possession appearing to be the book he carried. "If they persist in this idiocy, rest assured they will prove their readiness in short order."

"S-Soren!" the commander gasped. "But if you're here..."

Link chuckled. "Maybe we can try this again, commander. Your position is looking more untenable by the moment." He glanced at the man holding the enemy captain hostage. Feline ears poked out above an orange headband. "You wouldn't be looking for a group of children, would you? Led by a teen with red-gold hair?"

"Lyre," Ranulf said with a nod. "Is she okay? Kid's got a talent for getting in over her head..."

"You haven't read any of the fables, have you?" a strong, confident voice called out. A man in red and blue entered the clearing, and the soldiers scrambled away from him. He bowed slightly to the Hero, both Soren and Ranulf staring in shock at the powerful figure as he did. Link felt a little shocked himself. He carried a massive golden blade with a casual ease that clearly proclaimed his amazing strength. "You are the Hero of Time?" the warrior asked.

"I am told that I was," Link replied faintly. "I am the Chosen Hero in this life, that much I know." He turned back to Ranulf. "Your friend is fine. She's worried about the children and suffered from exhaustion and dehydration when I left, but she may have already recovered."

"Yeah, that sounds like Lyre," Ranulf chuckled. "Hey Ike, what do we do with this bunch of idiots?"

"Stefan's paying us to protect his people, nothing more," Ike insisted. "I'd rather that killing remain a last resort." He took the soldiers in with a long, sweeping glance, then gestured at the woods with a sideways nod of his head. They started retreating, but slowed when they saw their leader was still a prisoner. "Let him go, Ranulf."

"Hnh." The cat-man gestured, and the knife vanished; he ran up the side of a tree and leaped over the commander. _Not bad,_ Link thought. "Get lost," Ranulf hissed faintly, "and don't ever let me see you again." The commander ran, and the soldiers took that as permission to follow suit.

Soren folded his arms and glared contemptuously at the retreating force. "Pathetic." He turned to face the man Ranulf called Ike, and his entire demeanor changed. Respect and affection shone clearly from the man Link had to believe was a wizard. "Assuming this man is who you believe he is, I am confident we can call the situation stable."

"Then it's stable," Ike replied, clapping the mage on the shoulder. Soren blushed, and Ike turned back to the Hero. "We can't thank you enough, Lord Hero. We've been trying to rescue those children, and their liberator, for days."

"Lyre did most of the work," Link said, smiling shyly. "I'm sure your – laguz? – friends are already safe."

"You don't know what a laguz is," Ranulf said, his voice calm from shock.

The Hero shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "I just got an education." He gestured casually at his fairy partner. "I'm beginning to think Navi knows everything."

"Didn't you just change from a wolf into a man?" Ranulf asked. Navi ducked back under Link's hat shyly. _Sauce for the goose,_ the Hero thought.

To Ranulf, Link nodded. "Come on. Those children could still stand to see some familiar faces, I'm sure, and you have the look of men who've been traveling a long time." He strode towards a very relieved Epona.

Behind him, he heard Soren whisper to the great warrior. "This is your Hero of Time?"

"I'm sure of it," Ike replied simply. "In another life, he fought alongside the first Lord of the Fire Emblem, and together they defeated the destroyer Medeus and the King of Evil himself."

There was a pause. Link was just about to mount Epona when Soren said, "I never imagined that two such noble men could live in the same time." Link paused.

"Marth and Link?" Ike asked.

"You and the Hero," Soren replied quietly. The mighty Hero nearly slipped out of the stirrup, to Navi's very vocal amusement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"You're a mercenary commander," Zelda said quietly.

Ike bowed deeply, respectfully. "I am, Your Royal Highness." Soren sighed, though he bowed just as deeply.

"Skilled in training men at arms." She regarded the swordsman's gentle-looking companion carefully. "And your master wizard is a strategist without peer." _I'd wager that the mage's softness is barely skin deep._

Ike kept his head bowed, but that couldn't hide his broad, proud smile. "Soren's is the finest mind I've ever known, with a heart to match." Soren's blush rivaled the Hero's in full humility.

 _By the Gods. A wielder of the Fire Emblem and leader of men, with a supreme strategist, arriving now of all times. Truly, Din, Nayru and Farore watch over us in our time of need._ Zelda forced herself to remain calm. "This Stefan you serve, he wishes to reclaim Altea?"

Soren nodded this time, looking up at Zelda, openly weighing her. The nobles murmured among themselves. "He is what our home continent calls a Branded, half-beorc, half-laguz. We–" the wizard gasped, for no reason Zelda could discern at first.

 _Of course. Soren is one of these 'Branded.' They must face persecution in their homeland._ "Go on," she said gently.

Stiffening his resolve, Soren continued. "We came here looking for peace. The legends said that Altea and Hyrule were allies for countless generations in a land where all races stood as one." He bowed his head again, looking faintly ashamed. "I must confess, I did not believe such a place could exist. I hoped that the land was merely abandoned..." At that, he glanced at Ike. "The commander knew better."

It was Ike's turn to hide his embarrassment. _They're so cute,_ Zelda thought, though she kept her expression even and regal. "And these soldiers in crimson?"

Both men's faces changed as one. Ike looked somber and a little sad. Soren was caught between contempt and disgust, with a hint of fear hiding behind his eyes. "We were sure that Izuka was dead, slain in the battle to restore balance to our land," Ike explained quietly. "If those soldiers spoke the truth, we were wrong."

"Perhaps you were not," Zelda said quietly. "Our own land of Hyrule faces evil magic as we speak. It is possible we share an enemy. Regardless, I would very much like to hire you, and as many of your men as King Stefan can spare."

"He prefers 'Lord' Stefan, Your Highness," Soren said with a thin smile. "In truth, he prefers just Stefan, but as our leader, he just has to put up with the title."

"Better him than me," Ike muttered.

"Obviously," Soren continued after a slightly acidic glance at his companion, "we still suffer from their depredations, but the Begnion force is small," he said, smile broadening and sharpening, "and stupid. Titania can handle them easily."

"We also have warp magic, as you do," Ike added, gesturing above them briefly, "and if you can accept that Stefan's contract must take precedence in an emergency, we'd be happy to help." He glanced at one of the windows past the throne. "Besides, we're already in your debt."

"Nonsense," Zelda insisted, rising and bidding them do the same with a wave. Soren leaped to his feet, relieved. Ike rose more slowly, a disapproving flicker of a glance vanishing almost as quickly as it came. "Children are not bargaining chips in Hyrule. They may remain for as long as they require. Think nothing of it, I pray you."

Soren shook his head slightly in disbelief, but Ike merely grinned. "Link and Zelda, just like the legends say," the warrior-hero said. Zelda had to fight off embarrassment of her own. "Don't you worry, Your Highness. The Hylian knights will be everything they were in Marth's time in a year."

"I leave it to you, then," Zelda said. "The castle is yours. Make yourselves at home." She bowed to them one more time, which they returned, then left them in Anton's capable hands. It didn't take her long to reach the walkways overlooking the courtyard where Link had been training just that morning. The Tellian children played excitedly, Ranulf and Lyre riding herd on them somewhat frantically. Ike and Soren soon joined them, and the quartet of adults (if Lyre indeed counted) conferred quietly. Only Soren appeared to have any real reservations, and they were clearly eroding quickly. Smiling and leaving the visitors to their privacy, she continued along the walkway, growing somber when she passed the graveyard. She smiled again at the sight of the wind puzzle that she'd played with so often as a child, practicing her psychic abilities. Reentering the castle, she strode towards her room.

There, leaning on Zelda's door and looking as ragged as Lyre had when she'd arrived, was Midna. She was in her restored, fully human form, as regal and impressive as ever even in her current state. "Midna? Fire, Love and Wind, what happened?"

"The Dark Hero," Midna breathed. "I might have been able to resist him had be been alone, but – Din sear me, that's a bloody lie." She slumped heavily against the door. "I was barely holding my own when Veran showed up. If it was just that impossibly perfect form, or merely his incredible skill in battle, I would have had a chance. With Link's abilities and features alike, though..."

Zelda forced herself to maintain control. "What of your people?"

The princess cursed herself a jealous fool when Midna squeezed her eyes shut, pain writ large across the Twilight Princess' face. "They're safe for the moment, but all I could do was bolster the barriers holding Vaati and his stooges out. I...I need your help, Zelda. Yours and...his."

"You have it," Zelda replied immediately. "First, though, you're going to rest." Midna snorted, her self-deprecating air almost palpable. "You're going to sit down, drink a healing potion, and sear it, you _will_ take a moment to rest if I have to strap you down myself."

"I don't doubt it," Midna drawled. She opened her eyes then, guilt and gratitude warring across her features. "Zelda...thank you."

Zelda grinned wryly. "Don't thank me yet. We still have to tell the Hero."

"Tell me...what..." Link came skidding around the corner. She realized he'd come looking for her, moving fast enough that he'd just now heard her. The Hero stared at Midna in shock, and the Twilight Princess was no less paralyzed. _Holy Din,_ Zelda thought in frustration. _Now what?_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Link..." Midna's fingers twitched helplessly. She didn't know whether to reach for him or recoil.

Link, apparently, was having the same reaction. "How?" he breathed.

"I...the barriers...between dimensions...haven't fully healed yet," Midna explained haltingly. For all that Midna would have collapsed a moment ago without Zelda's door propping her up, she was convinced that Link's eyes would have held her upright the way they pinned her then. "That's how Veran and Onox have been...harrying you."

"It's been four months, Midna," Link said, not quite keeping the accusation from his voice. "You said the Mirror was the only path between our Realms."

"And it should have been," Midna agreed. "Vaati found another way..." Link's eyes widened far enough that the strain almost hurt Midna just to watch.

"We didn't think Vaati was a serious threat," Zelda explained quickly. "He hides behind Veran and Onox, afraid to confront you."

"You knew," Link breathed, looking at Zelda then. "You knew, about..." he waved vaguely at Midna. "...what was happening, and you didn't tell me."

"I told her in confidence," Midna admitted. "She wanted to tell you once she knew, but I'd already sworn her to secrecy."

"Farore," Link swore explosively. "Is there anything else I should know about? Maybe the resurrection of Ganon?"

"Ganondorf's dead," Midna insisted. "You killed him once and for all, unless some magic even greater than the Triforce of Power brings him back."

Zelda stepped towards the Hero. "Link, I'm sorry," she said evenly, "but what's done is done. As you can see, your power is needed again. You could not have reclaimed your sorcery at a better time, but that won't be enough, not now." She grimaced. "We weren't keeping this from you, Hero – Midna just escaped, and I heard it mere seconds ago. Your Shadow has been reborn."

Link gasped and leaned against the wall. "How?"

"Vaati," Midna spat. "It's the only answer, though how that pathetic piece of work remade the Shadow is anyone's guess."

"No guess," Link replied coolly. "According to the legends, Vaati is the Shadow's _original_ creator. His mightiest spell-work." Midna swallowed and looked away. Link sighed. _And he does what he always does – his duty. Think you could twist the knife any harder, Midna?_ she thought viciously at herself. "So what do I have to do?" he asked.

"You know the answer to that, Hero," Zelda said gently. Link looked away. "The Master Sword."

The Hero shook his head. "No. They'll be free to cross the gap, come and go at will."

"They nearly can already," Midna insisted. "Veran and Onox are phantoms. The gap means little to them. Besides, I'm solid flesh, and I made it. It's only a matter of time before Vaati follows."

Link looked at Zelda, realization thundering through him. "If Vaati enters the Light World..."

"My concern is Hyrule," Zelda replied calmly.

"It's mine too," Link almost growled, "but you _are_ Hyrule." He grimaced, looking from one princess to the other, then away again. "All right. The Master Sword it is, then."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shadow Link sat on a branch that would have cracked under a child's weight. It held him easily. The grove was beautiful, with a ray of sunlight bathing the legendary Blade of Evil's Bane in a golden glow. _This place should feel terrible to me,_ he thought curiously, _but it's funny...I feel at home here._ He smiled a cold, terrible smile. _I'll take every advantage I can get._

He reached into a pocket and pulled out the motes within. Tiny, crackling spheres of violet danced in his palm. _Every advantage. Oh, Hero, have I got a surprise for you..._


	5. Part I, Chapter Four: Shadow of Ages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Four: Shadow of Ages

Zelda sat at her desk, calmly sipping a cup of Deku Mint tea and looking over her papers. One reported on rebuilding progress (coming along more quickly than they'd dreamed), another the matter of repopulating Kakariko Village (not moving as quickly as hoped, but people were slowly trickling in, particularly beorcs), and a third the state of the knights' development (still dismal, with a few notable exceptions).

There was a whuff of smoke and wind beside her. "Haven't you read those papers already, Your Highness?" the gentle voice of a much older woman asked by her elbow.

"Impaz," Zelda replied happily, and impulsively hugged the elder Sheikah. The old advisor squirmed a bit, and the princess released her, still grinning. "What brings you here?"

"My granddaughter," Impaz said with a wry chuckle. She leaned lightly on her staff. "Aryll's been a bit disconcerted by the events of the last month, and I thought to offer my advice." The Sheikah shrugged. "Only time will tell if she accepts it, but she listened, which is the important thing."

The princess nodded. "And what did you tell her?"

"To speak the truth to the Hero," the diminutive elder replied simply. "It will do them both a great deal of good, I think." She sighed, leaning more heavily on her staff. "Aryll may have had my son and his wife, but few others accepted her as truly one of us, even when she learned the Eye of Truth. They have both been alone in ways few others can appreciate, but if she reaches out to him, I think Aryll will find a true brother in spite of the very different lives they've led."

"A respectable insight," Zelda agreed. "I would lean on your wisdom myself, Impaz, if you would grant it to me."

Impaz laughed. "Oh, child, you don't have to butter me up as much as all that. What would you ask of me, Your Highness?"

Zelda's good humor faded quickly. "Link is worried about the side effects of drawing the Master Sword." She grimaced and tapped her desk lightly with her fingertips. "We've convinced him that the need outweighs the risk. All the same..."

"You wonder if he has a point," Impaz finished gently. The princess nodded with considerable reluctance. "In all conflict, there is risk. Trusting the Hero to triumph with the Master Sword to hand strikes me as quite a small one." She patted Zelda on the arm. "Besides, the Twili need your help. Is there any other way to reach them?"

After a moment's consideration, Zelda shook her head. "I will put it that way to the Hero...when he is done speaking with Midna. That will comfort him, I think."

"Ahhh." Impaz gestured, and the staff vanished. She walked to the side of the desk to face Zelda more directly, and the princess was forced to swallow a giggle when the ancient Sheikah nearly vanished behind it. "Will the Hero's confrontation be...difficult?"

"Almost certainly," Zelda said, forcing herself not to tear at the words with her teeth. "Midna has changed greatly since they first met, but I don't think she truly understands him, even now. Nevertheless, it must be done. We dare not face Vaati's forces while this rift remains between them." She sighed and neatly piled her papers away, closing their drawer. "I just pray that they can set aside their pain before the situation gets any worse."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Link's heart hammered in his chest. An hour after seeing her again, graceful and glorious yet distant and withdrawn, the Hero didn't know how to feel. She was five feet away from him, but Link felt half-afraid to touch her, as though she would vanish if he dared to try. Navi snored delicately in his hair, her slumber a small mercy. _Love and Wind..._ She was looking away, leaning lightly against the castle wall, one hand pressed against it as if she considered retreating inside. _Behold the great Juror of Courage, too frightened to speak,_ he scolded himself. Yet every time he tried to form words, the memory of Ilia drifting away in spite of his every effort caught him, and his tongue froze.

Still, looking at Midna, he couldn't blame Ilia. Certainly, he had been faithful, but the memories sprang to his mind unbidden: _Hey, but listen, Link... I've got a little favor to ask..._ her arm on his shoulder, him feeling how forced her casual demeanor had been... _You'll come with me...won't you?..._ her hand caressing his cheek... _But after witnessing the selfless lengths that Princess Zelda and you have gone to...your sacrifices..._ the fierce determination that had so completely replaced her militant indifference...

Link shook his head fiercely. Navi muttered irritably and turned over, pulling his hair around her like a blanket. "Midna...can you even look at me?"

The Twilight Princess turned to face him. Even Link had to admit that she'd had to make an effort to do it. Old pain he'd thought long gone welled in her eyes. "I...if that's what you want."

"You're stronger than this," Link growled. His fist clenched painfully. In spite of the way she'd left... _This isn't right._

Mercifully, Midna grinned at that. It was weaker than he'd have liked, but the old mischief was there. He half expected to see a single petite fang peeking over her lower lip. "Against Vaati, surely. Find me some Evil, and I'll show you its true bane." The smile flickered and vanished. A breeze flowed around them, the grass waving in its wake. "With you..." her eyes dropped. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"Clearly," Link replied, more bite in his tone than he'd intended. Midna winced. The Hero followed suit. "I'm sorr–"

"How's Ilia?" she asked suddenly, looking up with what she probably thought was a semblance of innocence. _More like a parody,_ Link thought uncharitably.

"Fine," he hissed through gritted teeth. "She dumped me a month ago, mind you, but last I heard she was doing well."

Midna merely nodded to herself at that. "Yes. Yes, I expected that. I'd hoped she would be more gentle with you than she obviously was, but it was inevitable in its way."

"Inevitable?" Link whispered. His heart kept hammering, but it felt bound in thorns. "Why? Because she must have known that we formed a bond in our travels?"

Midna shook her head. "A counterfeit bond." Link opened his mouth to object again, but she held up a hand and looked at him with such helpless pleading his heart had to melt at the sight. "Please, Link. I haven't the right...but I must ask anyway. Zelda needs us to set aside...what's between us, at least for now. My people need it. Two worlds need it." Her legs wobbled.

Link never knew exactly what happened. One moment he was several feet away from here, the next, he was at her side, his hand on her shoulder, bracing her. "That," he said, his voice feeling heavy in his throat, "is something you never need to ask for."

She smiled, and somehow that was worse than the pleading. Guilt and something else warred and mixed in her features, and Link felt as though he were somehow at fault. _She left me!_ he insisted to himself, but some perverse splinter in his soul accused him of being to blame. "Let's...let's talk about something practical. How much do know about Vaati?"

"What the stories say," he replied with a shrug. "According to what remains of the Hero's journals, Vaati is an ancient foe of Zelda's. He prefers to strike during incarnations in which she is more typical a royal, younger, more vulnerable." The Hero bared his teeth reflexively. "As monstrous as Ganon is, he never means to do more than claim Zelda's connection to the Triforce. Vaati wants...more."

Midna nodded. "No matter what else happens, we have to protect Zelda." The pain didn't vanish entirely, but it...receded, to the point of being tolerable. The Hero could almost feel the same happen with the Twilight Princess. As one, they nodded.

"Hm? Wha?" Navi stirred in Link's hat. Midna froze suddenly, eyes wide. "Is Zelda in some kind of..." the fairy guide swirled out of his hat, then stopped, hovering, just above his head. The scene was like a pictograph.

Then Navi turned into a living explosion, an azure storm hurling tiny sparks at Midna from a hundred directions at once. For an instant, Link was terrified that the Twili would obliterate the fairy with a single burst of irresistible power, but Midna just cried out and ran. The Hero gaped in utter shock as this continued for several seconds, Navi using language Link never imagined her knowing (in truth, he didn't even understand a few of the outbursts) while Midna ran in circles, trying to plead for mercy in between yelps.

"Navi, stop!" he finally blurted, grasping for her. He might as well have been trying to catch a tornado, especially given his unwillingness to risk hurting her in his grip. _This isn't working. What do I..._ Link grimaced. _Farore, please let this work._ He held up his hands. "Farore's Wind!" he cried.

Navi screamed in frustration as the new-but-familiar verdant energy swirled around him, a tendril reaching out for the fairy, and carried them off. In a familiar limbo, the warp gates of Hyrule stretched out around/below him. He chose the Castle Town gate, and they appeared in a swirl of green light.

"Link, _don't_ – oh, Din, Nayru and Farore!" Navi swore explosively.

"Navi!" the Hero gasped.

Navi folded her tiny arms and glared at him. "Please, Link, I heard worse from you when you were the Hero of Time!"

The Hero's mind came crashing to a halt yet again. _The Hero – I? – Oh, for the love of Nayru._ He shook his head ferociously. "Navi, I appreciate how much you care for me, but Midna changed, you must have seen it."

"Oh, yeah, I had a front row seat," Navi replied caustically. "Ever wonder why I never tried to contact you back then?"

"What – wait, you said you didn't have the energy," Link said, reeling.

"Sure, most of the time," Navi replied. "You don't think I could have borrowed a little from the Great Fairy, though?" She bobbed and darted in wild agitation. "Midna threatened me, Link! And when that didn't work, she threatened to lead you off a cliff or something!"

Link frowned. "You know she wouldn't have done that." When Navi didn't respond, he folded his arms back at her. "Maybe when we met, she might have been willing to, when she was done with me, but are you really saying the Midna who warped us away and fought Ganondorf alone was going to kill me?"

"That was a little late to try anything, Link," Navi muttered. "The point is, she wanted to control you, and I was... _competition,"_ the fairy finished bitterly.

Link sighed and held out his hand, opening his palm. Navi flew to it and landed, sitting as heavily as a being her size could. "Navi, she's _changed._ What she did to you was wrong, but we have to let that go right now. Our world and hers are both in danger from Vaati and Shadow...me..." he shrugged, and Navi giggled, if weakly. "Okay?"

There was a long pause. Link had just begun to worry when Navi flew overhead and replied, "Okay." He could feel her disliking the need, but at least she seemed to agree with him that it was necessary.

"Okay." He nodded and started walking towards the castle again. Navi landed on his shoulder. "Let's go talk to the princesses." He shook his head again. "I can't believe I just said that." The fairy giggled, her mood apparently restored. _Now all I have to do is save the Twilight Realm...again...and defeat Vaati. And Shadow Me. Simple._ Link snorted, more than a little wolf-like even in human form. _Sure. Right._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The small party rode quietly through Faron Woods, the only sounds accompanying them the clap of hoofbeats, the calls of birds, the rustle of leaves and the bell-like chiming echoing from Navi. Zelda glanced from the Hero to her Twilight counterpart, but the two were clearly focused on the task at hand, each staring ahead with fierce determination. Behind Zelda, three knights rode rearguard. Link had insisted on bringing Ashei, Senza and Pierre, though their ability to follow on horseback was questionable at best.

Nevertheless, the Hero had chosen well, at least insofar as the trio of knights could travel with them. All three were actually worthy of their title, fierce Ashei wearing her armor as casually and lightly as Link wore his tunic, whipsaw Pierre moving with absurd speed, even on the saddle of a trotting horse, and powerful Senza, eyes focused and body relaxed, every inch the Hylian knight of old. _I certainly don't have to worry about any of them dropping their swords or shields,_ Zelda thought with relief.

Within minutes, the Forest Temple loomed before them, and with it, the nearest point in Hyrule that any path came to the Sacred Woods. Link reined Epona in, and the small train followed suit. He looked around, nodded to himself and dismounted. He gave Epona a grateful rub as he completed his examination. "Okay. Okay, I think we'll be able to do this."

"Do what, Link?" Zelda asked. "I fail to see how we continue, at least with the group we have with us."

Link grinned. "We have a woman with us whose mind-over-matter can lift entire stone bridges." He gestured at Midna. Navi snorted derisively, and the Hero threw her a long-suffering look before continuing as if nothing had happened, turning to the Twilight Princess. "Three knights shouldn't be much of a problem for you, should they, Midna?"

Midna snorted, eerily like Navi had. "You did mention a stone bridge, I recall. My biggest problem will be keeping the scarecrow from blowing away in the breeze." Pierre half-coughed, half-hiccuped in mild outrage, but Ashei and Senza had to force themselves not to laugh, so Zelda refrained from comment. "So, all at once?"

"Fire and Wind, no," Link blurted. "I mean, ah, I'll watch your back while Zelda levitates down. You'll lower the three knights around her simultaneously. Navi will coordinate for you."

Navi sighed and flew over to Ashei, the knight herself looking dubious. "What good'll that do?" Ashei asked bluntly. "We don't have fairy bonds."

"I'm stronger than I've been in centuries," Navi explained. "I can make sure you'll be able to move as easily as if you're standing on solid ground."

Zelda sat up in alarm; she hadn't yet dismounted, which was looking like a better decision by the moment. "He'll lose access to your harmonization power."

"Are you kidding?" Navi chuckled and flew back to circle Link, who ducked his head, slightly abashed. "The lug's been doing it for himself ever since his first incarnation after his life as the Hero of Time. Not that there's been anybody as big as Ganon or Vaati for you two to deal with, mind you, but I'm just a library and a pretty face for you now."

"Never," Link said emphatically. Navi chimed in gleeful response.

The brusque knight tapped her foot. "All right, I get it, can we go now?"

"Always so soft-spoken and laid back," Senza quipped. Ashei thumped him in the shoulder, but her muscular counterpart only rocked somewhat. Link's second in command gave Senza what appeared to be a new appraisal.

Midna shook her head. "You sure you prefer this to eternal Twilight?" she asked Link dryly.

"Don't tempt me," the Hero shot back with a grin. Then they realized what they were doing and looked away from each other with impressive speed. Midna raised her arms, and the three warriors floated gently off their horses. The beasts stamped in place briefly, but otherwise behaved themselves. Zelda nodded to herself and floated off Medley to join them in the center. All the same, she called a miniature sphere of Din's Fire to hand, just in case.

The whole procedure was handled with care bordering on paranoia, but nothing larger than a few gnats accosted them. After that, Midna floated down, and Link jumped. Zelda hid her wince behind her hand, but the Hero merely rolled with the landing and sprang to his feet, unhurt. #A strange sort of magic, the Hero has,# Zelda mused to Navi.

#He wouldn't be Link if he was normal,# Navi giggled back. They strode forward.

A strange little man in rags, carrying a pipe of some sort, landed before them. He laughed and capered a bit madly, but seemed harmless enough that Zelda gasped slightly when Link drew his sword. "Surely he can't be that dangerous, Hero?" she asked.

The knights were already drawing their weapons as well, following the Hero's lead. "It's not the Skull Kid, Princess, it's his puppets. Literally." Indeed, after a single, discordant blast from the instrument, four absurd puppets dropped from a nowhere conjured above them. Link strode forward.

Then a boomerang shot out, crashing through one of the puppet's heads. The other three turned, but Link took the opportunity to use his Great Spin, shattering them utterly. The Skull Kid cried out and vanished. Almost in the same instant, a tiny, green-clad figure burst into the clearing, carrying a staff in one hand. He caught the boomerang in the other, then looked around imperiously for a moment. His haughty attitude vanished the moment he saw the group, and he grinned broadly, freckles stretching as he did. "Link!" he shouted, leaping over and thumping the Hero in a friendly manner just barely at the belt.

"Who...?" Link asked, dumbfounded. Zelda sympathized.

"Mido, is that you?" Navi shouted, and a pink blur appeared from the odd little man's hat. _He certainly fits the descriptions,_ Zelda thought, not entirely believing her eyes, _if he hadn't changed a day in a thousand...years..._ With a start, the princess remembered the tales of immortal children, fairy folk protected by the magic of the Sacred Woods, that had raised the Hero of Time in secret.

"How many other four foot tall guys you know who run around thumping obnoxious Skull Kids?" Mido replied merrily. "Still following this beanpole around?"

"Four incarnations and still going strong," Navi said, swirling around Mido's pink partner.

"Heh." the Kokiri warrior nodded, then looked back up at Link. Way up. "And you! Look at you, bigger than ever, ya great lummox!" He gently poked Link in the abdomen with his staff. "Still, I gotta say, bleach that hair and lighten that tunic, and you'd be a dead ringer." He cocked his head and stared at the Hero, who was gaping openly. "Hey, Princess, something wrong with him? He looks like someone hit him in the head."

Zelda couldn't help it. She laughed. "Link still can't believe he's the Hero of Time reborn. He grew up reading his own legend as a fairy tale, poor thing."

With a laugh, Mido waved for them to follow him, and began walking towards the Temple. The group obeyed quietly. "Figures. Still so humble he makes a mouse look like a lion, and so deadly he makes a lion look like a mouse, am I right?"

Midna chuckled at that. "I would have said wolf, myself."

Mido rolled his eyes at Link. "She's a laugh and a half, huh, kid?"

"Um...Mido?" Link asked quietly. The fairy youth nodded impatiently. "What are you doing...I mean, the Kokiri Woods can't be around the Temple of Time, can they?"

"A thousand years is a long time, Link, even to a Kokiri," Mido replied, voice softening. "The old city was abandoned after the war, and, well, things moved. Even the forest, after a while. Trees grow and die, humans settle in all kinds of places, and the Temple kind of...called us here. I think the woods are _supposed_ to protect the Master Sword now." The forest champion shrugged. "Besides, we've been through two Great Deku Trees since then, and the new one's just barely out of sapling-hood."

"Two?" Zelda asked in surprise. "What happened?"

Mido frowned. "Well, the Sprout the Hero brought forth lasted a while, but the searing Scrubs got him four centuries later. Then there was the one that grew up near Lake Hylia. She grew fast with the Zoras' water feeding her, but about three centuries ago Marth's people got greedy." The Kokiri spat forcefully into the grass. "The old king would've been ashamed of 'em. That incarnation of Link ran the invaders off, mind you, but the tree was never the same after that." He bowed to Zelda. She felt odd having this ancient and noble (if eccentric) fairy champion defer to her. "It died a couple of decades before you were born, Your Highness, and your mother had it cut down before it could crush a village or drop in on the Zoras." He shrugged. "I heard they used most of the wood on the new temple in the city..." Mido smiled gently then. It was an odd expression for his face. "Though I also heard they built your crib from some of what remained. Sacred wood to protect the princess." His smile vanished. "I wish it'd helped more."

"More?" Zelda smiled back at the Kokiri. "I have the Hero of Light, friend Mido. What else did you think I would need?"

Link blushed as Mido laughed uproariously. "Great Farore, but you've got the kid's number. Then again, you always did." He gestured at the twin statues as the group approached. "Well, here we are."

"Shad is going to have a heart attack when he finds out he missed this," Ashei muttered.

Mido threw her a sharp look. "Why do you think I didn't show up the last time you were hear, Sir Ashei?" He looked away, shaking his head. "Haven't changed a bit, neither of you..."

While Ashei was blinking at that, the Kokiri led them past the guardians, and there it was, the legendary Master Sword, gleaming at them. Link swallowed. "Lord Hero?" Zelda asked, concerned.

"It's just..." Link licked his lips. Mido nodded to himself. "I know it's dangerous to draw it. That's why I don't like...wanting it so much." The Hero shook his head, uncertain of himself, while Mido's head whipped around to look at him in shock.

"Definitely not _all_ the same..." the fairy champion muttered, thumping forward.

Midna froze. "Wait!" she cried out.

It was too late. In a wall before them, and in clouds all around them, deep violet motes spread out all across the grass. Within seconds, strange, boxy monsters were springing up from the strangely twisted Dark Fire. The heroes quickly formed a ring, Link spinning the Sages' Sword in his hand in a very familiar ready stance. "Here they come," he whispered.

They did, attacking from every direction at once. Fortunately, they were as stupid as Bulblins and half as strong. It was easy to send them flying...at first.

"Hey, kid, you feeling some deja vu here?" Mido asked wryly.

Link grunted wordlessly and chopped down more of the strange foes. "We have to find the source of these things," he hissed.

"They're called Primids," something that was almost Link's voice called out, and Zelda's blood ran ice-cold in her veins. True to her fear, the words were followed almost instantly by a figure that resembled the Hero exactly in outline, but bore no resemblance to his manner. The Shadow Link's eyes burned an unholy crimson, and his leer was the very antithesis of the Hero's noble demeanor. "They come in bundles. Very cheap." He leaned on his ebon mockery of the Master Sword and grinned at them insouciantly.

Link shouted and spun, reducing several Primids to their component motes. "Yep. Cheap," he replied evenly.

Shadow's smile never wavered. "Well, yeah, they make Moblins look positively brilliant, and they fall apart if you breathe on 'em hard." He made a throwing gesture with his shield hand. Though he hadn't been holding any when he started, more of the little blots flew from his fingertips, generating the monsters even as the heroes began to whittle down the enemy's numbers in earnest. "Here's the thing though, 'Hero.' I've got a _lot_ of Primids." His predatory smile broadened.

Zelda frowned, seeking the Light Bow with her mind, but Link merely nodded. "Close the circle," he said, then leaped at his dark counterpart. Primids fell apart where he dove through them.

The princess immediately moved towards Mido, and the rest of the warriors followed suit. "You seem less confident than you did, Lord Mido," Zelda noted softly, throwing a ball of Din's Fire into a knot of the mindless things. They exploded satisfactorily.

"Nothing ever shook Link worse than his Shadow," Mido said grimly, crushing a Primid with a single, powerful swipe of his staff. "Some things have changed about him a lot, but if that's any different, I'm a Scrub."

Zelda watched the Hero move warily towards his counterpart. The sword twirled easily in his hand, but now that they were within range of one another, Link circled his Shadow as another man would a wolf or lion. _Mido's right,_ she thought, worried. _Link, be careful._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midna couldn't stop looking at the two figures, Hero and Shadow, as they weighed their swords and each other. Shadow, for obvious reasons, was eyeing with particular interest the sword of pure Light that Link bore. Occasionally, a Primid would get past one of her tendrils of tribal magic, but the Twilight Spear utterly annihilated such fools.

The Hero's previous uncertainty had burned away in the Dark Fire's cold light. He moved with the confident grace she'd watched grow in him during their long quest together. He was wary of Shadow Link, to be certain, but any wise warrior was careful around an equal foe. What most worried Midna was how he seemed to lean towards the Master Sword, as if it were some vortex drawing him in, or a mythical siren calling to him. They'd come here for the weapon, true, but Link... _I didn't realize how much he bonded with it._ She snorted. _Men and their toys._ Even as the thought formed, though, honesty tore it away. The Master Sword was no mere toy, and Midna knew it. _The key forged by the gods themselves,_ she thought more evenly.

Shadow Link, on the other hand, was more concerned with the wielder than the Blade. That, too, was simple good sense. _The Master Sword isn't going to walk to the Hero._ His mocking smile seemed entirely genuine, except when his eyes flickered to the Sages' Sword. He was obviously wondering what Light would do to his Shadow. Midna wasn't sure what she _wanted_ it to do. _Link has to win, and that's the end of it,_ she told herself, but for all that her duty and her mind told her one thing, her heart insisted she'd seen something warm beneath the Shadow's cold, inhuman shell.

Then, as one, they roared and leaped at each other, blade of Light and Shadow Sword clashing. Sparks of mana and motes of darkness flew where the weapons struck, but neither gave way. Shadow's grin hardened. "Awww. Looks like Light's no stronger than Shadow. This just isn't your day, Hero."

"Any day I run into you is a bad day," the Hero replied, and the two went at each other with all the skill and ferocity earned in months of battle and training. _Link's months, you thief,_ Midna thought, almost growling audibly. Navi glowed ferociously over Shadow's head, but the replica ignored the fairy entirely, concentrating on Link. Sword rang against shield repeatedly, neither winning any advantage.

Link grinned suddenly, and Midna could feel what he was going to do just before he did it. He thrust his shield out, knocking Shadow back, and slashed. The Dark Hero attacked as well, but Link had clearly been ready for that. Each took a shallow cut across the ribs, but the Sages' Sword was longer than the Shadow Sword. Link danced back, wincing just slightly. What he saw made him gape, and when the Dark Shield dropped enough for Midna to see it, her jaw dropped as well.

The inky blackness had, as Link no doubt hoped, burned away where it had been cut open by the touch of Light, but beneath it was an ashen gray tunic, a body, and a faint trickle of blood. Aside from the tunic's shade and the almost jet-black skin, it was identical to Link's own wound. Shadow's blood, most tellingly, was the same red any warrior shed in battle. "You're...you're real," Link whispered, shifting to a defensive stance.

"Oh Din, don't go soft on me now," Shadow grumbled, his aggressive posture advancing to fill the duelist's space left by Link's withdrawal. "I came here to settle matters with you–"

"NO!" Zelda cried desperately, and the Light Bow formed in her hand. Shadow gasped and threw his shield up just in time. Even then, the Light Arrow exploded against it, surrounding him with its power. Everyone was blinded for an instant, and every Primid within ten feet of Shadow burned away in the radiance. Even Link stumbled back from the raw force of the blow.

When the light faded, Shadow Link stood there completely bereft of his Twilight shell. That, alas, made him look all the more menacing. His eyes seemed to glow more fiercely than ever, the same crimson as his blood, and his vambraces were a surprisingly light gray. The hair was an almost shocking white. His skin, meanwhile, had changed the least, a charcoal color that she'd only seen on her fellow Twili. _Din, Nayru and Farore, he_ is _more gorgeous than Link._ Midna felt guilty the moment the thoughts sprang to mind, but aesthetically, the Twilight Princess couldn't change how she felt.

Shadow, on the other hand, had locked eyes with the Princess of Wisdom. "I don't want to hurt you, Zel," he rasped.

Zelda's lips flattened, but Link merely chuckled. "You're in trouble then, Shadow Me," the Hero quipped. "She wants me to draw the Master Sword. Are you going to tell her I can't?"

The Dark Hero looked from Zelda to Link, grimacing. "Yes," he snarled, then leaped for the Hero, locking swords with Link and pressing furiously against him. Zelda swore something Midna didn't recognize and drew her slender blade, slashing and blasting at Primids with more abandon than ever.

_He's wearing us down,_ Midna realized. _If he has more Primids than we have stamina..._ A quick glance behind her showed that Pierre was already showing signs of exhaustion. _Perhaps Link could keep this up forever, but the rest of us certainly can't._ She watched the two Heroes, Light and Dark, hammer each other furiously. Midna exhaled in frustration. _Link isn't even trying to get away. He just wants to beat his Shadow._ She looked from Zelda to Ashei and back. "Close ranks!" she shouted, then flew out and above them all.

Ashei swore using words Midna knew quite well, but obeyed. Zelda didn't retreat, but at least she sidestepped to fill the gap. Shadow glanced up quickly, and Link took the opportunity to rabbit punch him with his shield-hand. With absurd fortitude – the blow would have killed even most hardened warriors – Shadow shook it off and kneed Link in the ribs. "No fair flying, sow," Shadow snarled, and what Midna could only describe as flying...eyes, with fins and tendrils, appeared in the air and swam through it right at her. "A gift from a friend of mine," Shadow laughed.

"You're so good to me," Midna drawled, then slashed through them with her spear. One of the mono-eyes rammed her from behind, which wasn't any fun at all, but she cleared the space around her quickly. Then she shot to the ground, landing next to the brawling pair of Heroes. "Let me return the favor. She flowed into a ready stance, the spear held behind her.

Shadow snarled, and he and Link kicked each other off one another. The Hero gasped when he saw his Dark counterpart charge toward Midna, but Navi flew right in front of his face. Shadow's blade scythed toward her extended arm, but she brought up the spear to block. Link, mercifully, heeded Navi's telepathic advice with obvious reluctance and bolted for the Pedestal.

_Hurry, Link,_ Midna thought, grimacing in shock. The Shadow Sword's blow made the very mana within her Twilight Spear quiver. She briefly wondered how many blows it could withstand. To her amazed relief, however, Shadow merely locked weapons with her and closed as he had with Link. They struggled against one another, Midna concentrating fiercely, Shadow baring his teeth and breathing like some wildly churning engine. "I hate you...I hate you..." he hissed at her. For a moment, her heart clenched, but it took her little more than an instant to see something warring in his features.

"Perhaps part of you does," Midna replied with desperate speed, "but is that all you feel?"

Shadow Link pushed her back until she ran into the thick brush. There he pinned her, pressing all the harder. "Yes! I'll make you pay for what you did to us!" Inky tears trickled from his eyes. "Why? Why, sear you? WHY?"

Midna chuckled bitterly. "Which part?" she asked. "The abuse, or the way I left?"

At that, Shadow stumbled back, letting Midna straighten. She watched him warily, the flicker of hope within her growing as he licked his lips and shook his head. "You...you couldn't...you _can't..."_

"Get away from her!" Link shouted, and Midna felt a sudden surge of deja vu when the wind and force exploded around him as it had once before. Everyone turned to look at the Hero. He held the Master Sword aloft, and the Blade shone above him, catching the sun's light. The remaining Primids simply vanished.

Shadow Link leaped up to a branch far above them. He sheathed his own blade and grinned at the Hero. _Did Link just save me...or interrupt?_ Midna wondered. _Better safe than sorry,_ she decided quickly, following the Shadow with her eyes. The Twili dared nothing more just yet. "Nicely done, Hero," Shadow said dryly, clapping, "but do you really want to protect the Imp of Doom?"

Link darted between them, pointing the Master Sword threateningly at his Dark rival. "Believe it." In spite of her efforts at self-control, Midna's heart soared to hear that. "If you don't, come closer and find out."

"I think not," Shadow drawled, taking in Link's approaching allies in a brief gaze. "I'm brave, not stupid."

"You're out of Primids," Zelda said suddenly. Midna turned to watch her fellow princess; the Hylian was watching Shadow with a mix of sympathy and hope. "You cannot hope to overcome us all. Yet a previous Shadow Link was saved from the grip of Evil. Perhaps you can be as well."

The Dark Hero snorted. "Oh, I have a soul this time." He tapped his chest with the tips of his fingers. "Mine. With the body comes a spirit of my own. Make no mistake, however. This soul has been weaned on the Hero's pain and torment. I'd add something about his greed or vanity," he added viciously, gesturing with disdain at Link, "but he doesn't have any, Din sear him."

_He blushes so adorably,_ Midna mused, watching Link do just that. Rather than acknowledge the point, though, Link took a step towards his counterpart. "You don't have a lot of options, Shadow Me. Surrender." The shield vanished from Link's right arm, replaced by a Clawshot.

Shadow laughed then, nodding mockingly to Midna. "Or be brought low? You haven't talked to Midna about Option C, clearly." He began to sink into a nothing that was very familiar to Midna. Link gritted his teeth while the Dark Hero seemingly descended _through_ the branch. The Twilight Princess could see both the shadow he was sliding into and the warp magic that allowed him to do it, though. "Don't think this is over, Hero. This wasn't even the opening act – just the overture."

"If those Primids of yours are the bulk of your army," Zelda fired back, and Shadow slowed his descent, "then tonight's play will be short and dull."

Shadow shook his head, his good humor vanishing alongside him. "You know better than that, Zel," he said softly. Midna and Link shuddered in unison, though Midna was sure they did so for very different reasons. "First, there's a lot more bulk than you can believe, and second, of course we've got tougher goons squads than this." He paused when just his head was showing. "Stay at the castle, princess. Let the enemy come to you. Forget Midna. This is bigger than even you can fathom, and if you brave the Twilight...I don't know if I can protect you."

"I'll take my chances," Zelda said quietly.

"Farore!" Shadow Link snarled, and vanished.

Link sheathed the Blade of Evil's Bane and wiped his brow in relief. "Well. I'm glad that's over. Any insights on Shadow...Me...Mido?" the Hero looked around. Midna glanced at the space the Kokiri had occupied. The only trace of him was his hat.

Then a boomerang shot from the brush, snatched the hat out from among them, and vanished into the woods. Kokiri laughter echoed around them. "Tell the Great Fairy that Mido the Sage sent you," he called out, and then even the sound of him was gone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Link paced, frustration driving every step. Even with the comforting weight of the Master Sword on his back, he felt useless for the moment. #So now what?# he wondered 'aloud' to Navi.

#So now you wait for five searing minutes,# Navi shot back crossly. #Zelda's working as hard as she can.#

#I know that, but it's been five _hours,_ and I'd at least like to know what's going on.# He glanced up at Navi, her blue light particularly vivid with the castle's stone and mortar as a backdrop. #And for the love of Nayru, what's gotten into you? You're not still upset about Midna, are you? She really came through at the Temple.#

#Hmmph.# Navi flew over and landed as hard as she could on his hairline. He actually felt it, if just barely. #I'm not impressed.#

_Oh._ The Hero blinked, realization striking him. #Ah.# He nodded carefully, and Navi walked grumpily to her favorite clump of hair and settled in. _In other words, you_ are _impressed, and you're doing your best not to admit it to yourself._ He found a chair and sat, not physically tired but emotionally weary, and kept his opinion firmly to himself. Outside, the knights drilled. They still had a long way to go, but Ike was drilling them competently, and Hyrule's military was developing fantastically.

Link was relieved by this, but it only emphasized how extraneous he felt. _A goatherd with the Master Sword is still a goatherd,_ he thought, his mood starting to mirror Navi's. _Ike can train the knights, and Ashei can lead them far better than I with just a little work on her temper. Zelda certainly doesn't need my help in solving this absurd problem of reaching the Twilight Realm. And Midna..._ He gripped the chair's arm until his knuckles whitened. _She already let me know how much she needs me._

Aryll emerged from a nearby shadow. "Lord Hero?" she asked, her voice soft, almost timid.

The Hero stood almost immediately. "Aryll, hello," he said, bowing clumsily. _Fire and Wind. I can do better than that._ He straightened. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she said immediately. Then she paused and looked away. "Yes, actually. There's no immediate danger, mind you, just...you already know I've been hiding something from you."

Link nodded. "We're related, aren't we?" Aryll looked up, apparently only mildly surprised. "I have a pictograph of my parents," the Hero explained. The Sheikah nodded. "Cousin on my mother's side would be my first guess."

"No," Aryll replied, swallowing. "When your parents died, you were very young, but still old enough to leave with friends. They had..." Link's throat seized up in an instant. "...a younger child, one they didn't want to leave behind. Your mother... _our_ mother needed to keep me with her."

"Din, Nayru and Farore," Link breathed. Navi chuckled. #Not now, Navi.# He stared. "My sister. You're my sister." Aryll nodded with a strange mix of defiance and reluctance. "How...?"

"Dampei arrived just as the raiders were – _dealing_ with our parents," she said, a lump forming in her own throat. "I wasn't a priority to them." She smiled then. "I was to Father, though. He says he's never been able to deny me anything. It's a load of pig swallop, but there it is."

They stared at one another for several seconds. Then Link couldn't hold it in any more. He threw his arms around Aryll and hugged her tightly, forcing himself not to cry. She quivered there for a moment, then slowly put her arms around him. "Aren't you upset?" she asked quietly.

Link disentangled himself from her, took her by the shoulders, and smiled. "When did you find out about me?"

Aryll grinned sourly. "While you were a wolf."

"Exactly." Giving up on decorum and restraint, he hugged her again.

They stood there, each of them sniffling faintly, for nearly a minute. Then Aryll chuckled. "You're going to do this a lot, aren't you?" Link nodded. Aryll paused. "I can deal with that," she decided, squeezing him tightly.

Again, the Hero nodded, holding his sister close for a few more moments. Then he squirmed. "Huh."

Aryll released him, cocking her head to one side. "What?"

He probed his ribs with one finger. "I shouldn't still be sore after being healed."

"Hmmph. Dark Fire magic, most likely. Okay, take it off," she insisted, waving at his tunic.

The Hero clutched at his shirt, scandalized. "You can't be serious!"

"I thought," Aryll drawled, "that we had just established that I'm your sister. Off." She gestured more insistently. Link took a wary step back, but Navi took that moment to laugh and fly down the front of his tunic. When he thrashed at her tickling, Aryll grabbed the cloth firmly and yanked his entire top off with one cunning pull. He was still tangled up in his clothing from the shoulders up, making protests as best he could through the chain mail and thick fabric, when Aryll started probing his bruises with clinical, expert fingers. "Nayru have mercy. You shouldn't still have these."

"Lmm mm oomm!" the Hero protested, yanking his clothes farther up (as it seemed his only option at the time).

Aryll steadied him with one hand. "If it's that easy to immobilize you, Link, you really need to revise your defensive strategy."

Link finally freed himself from the tangled mass of fabric and metal and threw it aside. "I generally don't try to defend myself from family," he protested, letting his hands drop to his hips, "and if I do, I'm rather reluctant to break their arms!"

"Ha. I was just too fast for you, admit it," Aryll shot back. "Now hold still, I'm trying to–"

_That does it,_ Link decided, and moved. He darted to the doorjamb, and leaned against it confidently when Aryll looked up at him in amazement. "Now that we've settled that, what about these bruises?"

"What bruises?" Zelda asked as she entered. Both Hero and Princess froze, him staring into Zelda's eyes, her looking at him a bit more...broadly. _Why do I have this strange feeling of deja vu?_ Link wondered. He tried to say something to that effect, but Her Highness' eyes had him paralyzed.

Aryll snickered and Navi laughed uproariously. Zelda looked away suddenly, clearing her throat. _What in Farore's name was that about?_ Link wondered, but just shook his head and pointed to the small purple welt left from where Shadow had cut him. "I'll take this over a gash any day," he explained, "but it looks like Shadow Me's slashes don't heal as quickly as, well, anything else."

Aryll and Navi stopped laughing as suddenly as a candle being blown out. Zelda turned and focused intently on the thin but disturbing discoloration. Link's sister fell in behind her, examining him more seriously this time. "I...don't believe it is serious," the princess said finally, standing and turning to face his tangled top. With a gesture, she straightened out the mess and levitated the lot to him without glancing back. "If you would be so kind, Hero, there has been some interference with the scrying, and I believe you and the Blade will be of some help in dealing with it."

"Finally," Link muttered, pulling on his shirt. "I mean, I'm always happy to help, Your – Princess Zelda," he blurted, practically throwing the chain mail on.

Zelda shook her head at that, but she was smiling when she turned. "Still so difficult, my Hero?"

Link bowed. "To prevent myself from addressing you properly? Always, milady."

"Don't worry, Zelda, we'll break him of it," Navi interjected brightly.

The Hero ruthlessly suppressed the image of catching Navi in a bottle. It was a very near thing, though.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"'Sacred might, Realm so bright, let the stars all come alight,'" Zelda chanted, sitting in a gently turning circle of sacred Hylian text inscribed in Light. Madame Fanadi and Princess Midna chanted in time with the Keeper of Wisdom. The Sheikah seer's eyes were unfocused but her movements were deliberate, while Midna's eyes pierced the crystal with ferocious intensity while she remained utterly unmoving. "'Hear my plea, flow through me, let this humble mage now see.'" Though the starscape above them was limited by the observatory's walls, its reflection in Fanadi's crystal ball shone brightly as the ancient incantation called mana into the seers.

Her mind registered the others present but dimly. Soren was chanting along with them, but in a whisper so low that she could only hear him in her mind. Dampei and Astrid, her closest ally and most determined rival in the Shadow Council respectively, watched from shadowed corners, crouched and ready to strike at any fools who dared approach through their element. Finally, Ashei, Ike, Aryll and Link watched the four directions, though the princess felt that only the Hero's presence was necessary on that front. He held the Master Sword before him like a torch, slicing away the miasma that had interfered with the previous reading.

In a flash, all three women gasped and threw their heads back, staring at the sky. Link turned and gasped along with them, but he didn't so much as let the Blade waver. Distantly, Zelda felt Navi extolled his steady hand, and admonished him to maintain it, assuring the Hero that his princess was in no danger.

_More than true,_ Zelda thought, almost moved to weep at the liquid golden sky she saw, a shimmering and glorious canopy rising above all that was and might be. Clouds of burning crimson, forest green and ocean blue floated between the princess and the shining heaven.

Then it was over, and Zelda exhaled explosively, gripping the table. Fanadi nearly collasped, while Midna merely mimicked her fellow princess' relief. The Dark Fire miasma howled and fled to the gap between dimensions, beaten, and Link leaped to Zelda's side. "Your Highness – !"

"I'm all right," Zelda whispered, smiling. "Gods. I confess to being a bit overwhelmed, but I am completely unharmed, I promise you. Quite the contrary, in fact."

Fanadhi shook her head weakly. "It was a magnificent vision, Your Highness, I'll grant you, but it makes no sense." Midna nodded in agreement, lips pursed, but added nothing.

In the face of her fellow seers' confusion and frustration, Zelda held back her joyous laughter. "I understand your confusion, Madame Fanadi, but I cannot share it. 'In a realm beyond sight / The sky shines gold, not blue. / There, the Triforce's might / Makes mortal dreams come true.' I feel a bit the fool, now. In retrospect, it's so _obvious."_

The Hero blinked. "I don't understand, Zel. What did you see?"

Midna looked away from the Hero then, but Zelda forced back her wince of sympathy. _Now is not the time._ She looked up at Link, smile broadening. "The Sacred Realm, Link. When you claimed the Master Sword, you opened the path to the Temple of Light. From its shining halls, no Realm is impenetrable. Once there, we shall travel to the Twilight Realm and put paid to Vaati once and for all."

The Hero grinned back at that, sheathing the Blade of Evil's Bane and nodding. "It can't happen soon enough, Princess Zelda." All present followed Link's example, nodding in kind. _Let us hope that it does turn out to be that simple, my Hero,_ Zelda thought grimly. _The Wind Mage cannot have been idle all this time._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"You're hiding something," Vaati said, his voice low and accusing.

Shadow Link shrugged. "And?" he asked with casual defiance, arms crossed as he leaned against the rock face that made up most of Twilight's landscape.

Veran chuckled throatily, smiling in agreement with the Dark Hero's nonchalant attitude. Onox flexed irritably. _You're always irritable, you walking fist,_ Shadow Link thought merrily.

Vaati clenched his own fist, eyes crackling dangerously. "You play a deadly game, my son," he whispered.

At that, Shadow Link couldn't help but laugh. "What? Are you going to kill me?" He shrugged. "I've lost track of how many times I've been dead. It doesn't hold much fear for me." Vaati leaned forward, but the Dark Hero held up a hand. "Peace, Wind Mage. I'll follow through on your mad scheme. If you fall, however, another master calls to me. Nothing more, nothing less."

The wizard's murderous gaze relaxed. He straightened, regarding Shadow carefully. "Very well. You are my greatest creation, after all," he said pompously.

"Don't push it, 'Dad,'" Shadow Link replied coolly.

Vaati ignored him. "I'll permit you your secrets, your mysterious ally and your conjured armies." He turned to face the citadel of Twilight. "All I want is Zelda. Veran and Onox will have their revenge on the Hero, and you...if you obey, you may claim your Twilight Princess."

The thought of Midna made his fury at Vaati's arrogance melt away, edges of jagged ice turning to mist in the heat of his need. For the first time, though... _Why? I am not the Hero. Why should I let his pain define me?_ When he looked at the palace commanded by she who was his obsession, though, his question answered itself. _What else do I have? They are right – I am a reflection, a Shadow. Nothing more._ He probed the scar left by the Sages' Sword. _Nothing more,_ he insisted, almost believing it.


	6. Part I, Chapter Five: Realms of Legend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Five: Realms of Legend

It felt almost odd to be walking the halls of the castle without the Hero. Zelda found herself comforted by the thought of his near-constant presence; the feeling almost made up for his absence. Instead of Link, she had Dampei and Astrid walking alongside her. She could hardly be safer, but still she wished the Hero were not occupied with preparations. Astrid breathed in to speak, and Zelda's desire for his presence intensified.

"You should bring a Sheikah with you," Astrid said calmly. Zelda blinked. _Hm. Not entirely unexpected, but I would have thought she'd begin with her usual political concerns._ The princess regarded the Shadow Councillor evenly. "You travel into the Twilight Realm, where the Shadow touches all," the elder Sheikah explained. Though an older woman, her movements were still fluid and vital. Rumor had it that she had no trouble finding companionship, but Zelda knew that she encouraged such rumors to more easily manipulate Hyrule's enemies. _Her devotion to Kayo is well known._ The princess again glanced at Astrid, but she merely waited for Zelda's response.

To Zelda's mild annoyance, Dampei nodded. Then he grinned. "Aryll would drive us mad with worry anyway." He winked at Zelda. "Assuming we could even keep her in the castle."

The princess sighed. _I will not let him get under my skin._ She smiled evenly at Dampei. "Aryll would be a welcome addition under other circumstances, Master Dampei. I pray that my precautions are unnecessary. Nevertheless, we cannot reduce Hyrule's defenses so greatly. The Hero's absence will be sorely felt should Onox and Veran invade again."

Astrid snorted as they reached the door to the throne room. "He is a good man, Your Highness, of that there can be no question. In this life, however, he is no Sheikah. Twice he faced their invasions. Twice he needed rescue."

Zelda paused at the door, trying to keep her jaw from tightening. She failed, and stopped her hand just before she took the handle. "He is far better equipped to face them now, Lady Astrid," the princess replied as calmly as she could. "Link's command of sorcery grows by the day. He has reclaimed the Master Sword. Neither Veran nor Onox has dared return to the Light Realm. I do not understand why we are having this conversation."

"You cannot enter the Twilight Realm guarded by so few, Princess of Destiny," Astrid said, her voice barely above a whisper. Zelda found herself unaccountably touched. "The Hero and the Twilight Princess are both powerful, but if the legends are accurate, Vaati's plans for you are worse than death. We can protect Hyrule in your absence."

With a flicker of psychic awareness, Zelda checked the throne room. The nobles were still gathering. While she detected a few anomalous presences, they were neither hostile nor problematic. _Strange, though, that I cannot sense their identities._ The princess dismissed the thought for the moment, stepped back from the door, and turned to confront the Sheikah. "Cunning Astrid. Mighty Dampei. You have both served Hyrule bravely and well for longer than I have lived. Yet we are all familiar with the terrible power our enemies have over the Shadow."

"She's getting flowery. We're in trouble," Dampei quipped. Zelda exhaled, unable to entirely conceal her irritation. The Sheikah hero turned serious in an eyeblink. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I can let my wit get away with me at times." He bowed formally to the princess. "Were she any other person, I would prefer my daughter remain here. In truth," he added wryly. "I would be just as happy to see another Sheikah accompany you in your travels. Yet there can be no doubt that the bond she has formed with the Hero will strengthen them both across Light and Shadow. I fear for my daughter, but I am also proud of her, proud of the Sheikah she has become. You could not ask for a more skilled or devoted companion in your quest."

Zelda nodded reluctantly. "I wished to spare the Hero worry for her...but you are right. A part-time Sheik is simply insufficient to the task. Very well. Aryll, and no more. Telma, Ashei and the Tellians should prove up to–"

"We had hoped," Astrid interjected quietly, "that you would bring the Tellian warlord and his sorcerer with you as well."

"You what?" Zelda blurted, not even bothering to hide her surprise. _So they are the ones I sense in the throne room,_ she decided. Something about that felt incomplete, but again there was no threat in the intuition, so she continued. "Impossible. Hyrule cannot spare such gifted military commanders, not now."

"Tch." Astrid shook her head. "This is why I urge you to yield your seat on the Shadow Council. You strive to do everything yourself, but even the Keeper of Wisdom..." she shrugged, then gestured to the door. "As you wish, then." Dampei threw the older Sheikah a sharp look. Astrid ignored him.

_Hm. And what do you have up your sleeve..._ Strangely, Zelda found herself grinning. The Sheikah elder had no sleeves. _Very well. I'll play along._ The princess calmly turned and entered the throne room.

It took her no more than two paces to realize what Astrid had kept in reserve. _And the Hero was no doubt a part of this,_ she realized. Ike and Soren were indeed there in the great hall, but so were Darbus and Ralis, each with several warriors and two advisors. Link was conferring quietly with the Zora prince, furthering Zelda's suspicions. The Hero all but confirmed them when he looked up, saw the princess, smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. #So, Hero, you found an answer to my question?#

Link jumped slightly at the mental contact. #Um, yes, Y– Princess Zelda,# he replied. #The Gorons and Zoras are still trying to restore order to their lands.# His bashful grin returned. #I, ah, offered to help when this matter with Vaati was done.# Zelda sighed. #There are also some trade agreements waiting for you to review them...#

#Mm.# Zelda considered that briefly. #I've been corresponding with Ralis on mercantile matters, but the Gorons have always been quite self-sufficient.#

Navi chuckled through the bond. Link pounced quickly. #Death Mountain has been dealing with more of Ganondorf's 'leftovers' than any other location in Hyrule. They've been too proud to mention it...# he trailed off.

#...until the Hero here,# Navi cut in, #managed to come up with a way for them to ask without losing face.# The fairy giggled while the Hero blushed. #Darbus is here to offer Hyrule military aid. To allow _us_ to save face, we're to send some magical advisors to Death Mountain. The Patriarch 'knows' that the Gorons don't need any, but Link and Gor Coron convinced him to let you send help.#

#Which, conveniently, frees up Captain Ike and a small military force to accompany us to the Twilight Realm, yes?# Zelda sent.

Link suddenly found his toes fascinating. #The thought did come up in conversation,# he replied quietly.

"Is something wrong, Lord Hero?" Ralis asked him softly. Zelda chuckled to herself and strode to the throne.

The Hero looked up again quickly at that. "No, no, Prince Ralis, everything's fine." He sighed then. "Except I'm apparently stuck with 'Lord Hero' after all."

Ralis smiled at that, but when Zelda stood before the throne, all activity ceased and she had their collective attention. _Not that it really matters. It would appear that arrangements have been made for me._ The princess considered that, then glanced at Astrid for a moment. _Perhaps the elder Sheikah's had a point all along. I've become accustomed to the_ necessity _of managing everything personally. I've had so few allies I could rely on all this time._ She let her eyes flicker to Link again. _Perhaps things have changed._ She gestured to Anton, and the herald stepped forward to begin the court's proceedings. _I'd...like that._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Link watched carefully as Ike and Ashei traded blows on the field beside Hyrule Castle. Tellian and Hylian soldiers each cheered on their leaders. Telma and Soren each put a few rupees on a table behind them. It was a merry scene, but the Hero couldn't quite suppress a scowl. Certainly, he was heartened by the strength and skill of the two warriors, sword ringing against sword with bell-like clarity. All the same, they seemed to have decided that dealing with Vaati would be a simple matter. _No. I know them better than that. None of them would take someone as vicious as Vaati for granted._

He strode quietly to the bartender and sorcerer. Soren raised an eyebrow, while Telma grinned at the Hero. "Hey, Link! You want some of this action?" the Gerudo laughed. "Soren's in a mood to give away money."

"I did not know," the strategist replied dryly, "that Hyrule's barkeeps were also comedians."

Link's scowl deepened. "I missed the part where _any_ of this was funny," he said quietly.

Soren had caught his mood and straightened, hand dropping to his spell book, but Telma smiled indulgently. "Hon, this is what soldiers do. Don't you worry. We took care of Zant's goons, we'll handle this Vaati character."

"Mmm." Link glanced from Telma to the duelists. "Maybe." He turned and headed towards the duo, readying his shield.

Navi stirred within his cap. #Hm? Wha? Oh. Oh, Farore. Link, try to calm down.#

#I am calm, Navi.# Link moved carefully towards the melee. The cheering and catcalls faded and died out. #I'm just doing my job.# Navi muttered worriedly to herself. Ike and Ashei stopped in the middle of another mutual parry and regarded Link curiously, like two cats interrupted by a dog. "Training exercise?" Link asked mildly.

"Yeah," Ashei replied. "Having a little fun at it, too."

Ike looked from Ashei to Link and back. "Is something wrong?"

Link shrugged. "You tell me." He met Ashei's cool gaze with one of his own. "It's an excellent idea to gain each other's measure, don't get me wrong." He glanced around at the soldiers, then back at the pair. "I just want to be sure everyone knows what they're getting into."

"Only one way to find out," Ashei said brusquely, pointing her sword at the Hero. Ike looked from the lady knight to the Ordon orphan, nonplused.

Link regarded her for a moment. "True enough. If you're going to face my Shadow, then you should be up to dealing with me." He nodded to the mercenary. "Captain, when you're ready."

"Both of us?" Ike asked. Soren made a strangled sound behind the Hero.

Link smiled gently. "Don't worry, Ike. I'll be careful." The Tellian mercenary shrugged and pointed his own massive, golden blade at the Hero.

Ashei roared and leaped. The audience's uproar returned, redoubled. Link calmly parried with his shield, carefully watching Ike circle him. _Good. Good. They're already working together. Maybe Telma was right. Maybe I am worrying about nothing._

#You sound like you want to lose,# Navi sent worriedly.

#It's more that I want them to be able to beat me,# Link explained. He grimaced at Ashei's feral smile. #They're going to have to earn it, though.# He slammed his shield into Ashei, throwing the knight back, then spun. Her sword flew from her hand, allowing the Hero to turn his attention to Ike.

The mercenary had been charging to attack, but skidded to a halt when he saw Link turn to face him and went into a defensive ready stance. The Hero nodded, then swapped out sword for Clawshot and grabbed the warrior from afar. Ike squawked in horrified surprise, but Link just summoned his Iron Boots, yanked Ike to him, then banished the boots and kicked him in the stomach. When he doubled over, Link knocked Ike carefully over the head with his shield. The beorc fell to his knees, stunned but largely unhurt.

That let the Hero turn his full focus on Ashei, who had retrieved her sword. She spun to face the Hero, her smile replaced with a furious snarl. _Fire, Love and Wind,_ Link thought with a sigh. _I was hoping this would be harder._ He traded Clawshot for the ball and chain, spinning it overhead with determination. She darted towards him, more wary than he'd dared hope, but not carefully enough. He swung the ball at her, and she tried to parry it. That went about as well as it had for him; the massive sphere crashed past her defense and sent her flying.

He banished the weapon and looked at the two. Ike was woozily regaining his footing. Soren had already reached his commander's side, concern and fury vying for dominance on the spellcaster's face. Ashei had landed near the castle wall, looking sullenly at her sword several feet away. "You may not believe this," he said quietly, "but I was truly hoping that you would do better than this."

"That's hardly fair, Lord Hero," one of the Tellian soldiers replied. "We're not going to be fighting the Hero of Time."

Link whirled on the soldier, who swallowed at whatever he saw in the Hero's eyes. Every nearby Hylian edged away from the luckless Tellian. "No. You'll be fighting my _Shadow._ He has every jot of my strength and skill, every weapon, every spell and more...and none of my restraint." He gestured at Ike. "Had your leader been fighting my Dark side, he would be dead."

"We'll see about that," Soren snarled.

Ike gripped the smaller man's shoulder. "No," he rasped. "Link may well have saved my life today." He saluted the Hero, who nodded back in relief. "I'll mind the lesson well, Lord Hero." Link winced at that, but Ike grinned. "Don't get too complacent yourself, though. I mean to have a rematch."

Link nodded again, retreating past a stunned Telma. He glanced quickly at Ashei, but she was rising with just a slight wobble. The knight reluctantly accepted a sip of potion. _They both will, no doubt. A small price to pay, though._

#Farore, Link, do you have to do this to me?# Navi blurted.

The Hero shrugged as he reentered the castle. #Sorry, Navi, but I had to be sure. Believe me, I hate being right at times like this.# He sighed. #They'll be more wary in the Twilight Realm, and that's what counts. Can you check on Princess Zelda? I'm worried about her too, though for different reasons.#

Navi snorted. #Off to talk to Midna again?#

Link hunched his shoulders defensively. #I really do want you to talk to Zelda,# he insisted.

At that, Navi laughed. #Link, you're about as good a liar as Ashei is a diplomat. I know you wouldn't try to trick me like that.# The fairy swirled out of his hat then, flying alongside him. A few guardsmen gaped at the sight. #Look, I don't like that Twilight knockoff and I never will, but even I can see she's trying to do right by you here.#

#Midna's nobody's copy,# Link replied, a touch of heat threading into his mental voice. #She's her own woman, no matter the Realm.#

Navi landed on the Hero's shoulder and patted his neck. He could barely feel it even with their connection. #Gods. When you get it bad, you get it _bad._ Okay, okay, I'll go check on Zelda.# She muttered to herself again, but flew off towards the Light princess' chambers.

Link took a deep breath, then forged ahead. He knew the castle like his own home by then, and quickly found the right quarters. For a moment, his vaunted courage failed him, but he gathered his will and knocked.

"Farore!" Midna shouted, more annoyed than truly angry. Link swallowed. "If one more of you lovesick so-called 'knights' leaves dead plants in front of my door, I'm going to force-feed them to–" She threw open her door.

"No flowers," Link said, chagrined. "Glad I didn't think of them, now."

Midna stared for a long moment, unmoving. Link was glad he could hear her breathing, else he would have worried. Finally, she sighed and backed into her room. "Come in, I guess," she mumbled. _She even mutters musically,_ he thought, then gritted his teeth. _Down, boy._

"I wanted to try talking again," Link said, the words seeming to stumble out, to his ears.

Midna glanced up at him, and smiled that knowing, secret smile of hers. "So far, you seem to be succeeding." She cocked her head. "Although I suppose that could be considered a matter of opinion."

"Farore," Link swore explosively, and strode up to her. Midna's eyes widened in a way that made Link feel as much guilty as satisfied. "No more games, Midna. I can't deal with them any more."

The Twilight Princess carefully stepped over a chest, her retreat obvious even to the Hero. Link took the opportunity to look around. The room was sparse for nobility, with just two chests, a desk, and the bed. She had only altered the bed, Twili lines of power glowing faintly on the frame. "What," she asked, laughing weakly, "can't friends tease each other now and then?"

Link quirked an eyebrow at that. "You have an interesting definition of 'now and then,' Twilight Princess."

She looked away. "Fair enough," Midna whispered. Link took the opportunity to walk towards her again, but stopped at the hunted look she gave him. "Link, please. I...I'm not who you're looking for."

"Why does everyone think they know me better than I do?" Link objected, stepping around the other chest. There was nothing between them now but a few feet of floor, and two worlds.

Midna glared at him then. "Why not? You think you know _me_ better than I do myself."

The Hero met her eyes unflinchingly. "Tell me to leave, and I'll go." Midna opened her mouth, arm half-raised. She stopped there, and her eyes danced away from him, mouth closing again. She took a step back, only to find the wall behind her. _I knew it._ He moved to step towards her again, but when her eyes met his, he saw fear in them.

The Hero stumbled back, horrified. "I – Light and Time, Midna, I would never hurt you. Never."

Midna laughed bitterly at that. "That only makes it worse, Mr. Important Hero." She looked away, watching the twilight energy play through her bedframe. "You're so damn stubborn, you know that?"

"I've heard," Link drawled, but he was still shaken. "Midna, what do you think I am?"

Something seemed to fall into place for the Princess of Twilight. She looked at him again, the fear gone. "Zelda's Hero," she said simply.

"Oh, Fire, Love and Wind," he blurted, throwing his hands into the air. "Yes, I care about the princess. The other princess. Too." He pressed his fingers into his forehead. "Love of Nayru."

"A Hero of Light could never be happy with a shadow of a woman," Midna whispered.

Link's head shot up at that. "You're no one's shadow! You are Midna, the princess of the Twili and ruler of an entire Realm! And I – I love you!"

Midna gasped at that. _Yes!_ Link exulted, and dared another step forward. Cunning flowed into her eyes then, though. "I seem to recall," she said slyly, "that you said similar words to another woman not long ago. Are you really so fickle, Link of Ordon?"

The Hero flinched, but shook it off and locked eyes with her anew. "You knew it wouldn't last. You said so yourself."

"Fair enough," the Twili said with a sigh. "Link, I knew she would leave you because she and I both know that you're bound to another."

"More fairy tales," Link nearly snarled. "I'm old enough to know the difference between a childhood crush on a storybook princess and a bond between two real people."

"You're more stubborn than the goats!" Midna shot back, her mood shifting like quicksilver. "Our bond was less real than your childhood crush, you mule-headed Hero!"

"Then tell me to leave," Link insisted. Midna's expression flattened, and her hands turned into fists. "I thought we were done playing games."

"You said that, not me..." she retorted, her old playfulness returning. Link didn't smile, the Hero in no mood to play. Midna's defense melted away. "When Zelda saved my life," she said almost tonelessly, "she gave of her very soul, using the Triforce of Wisdom to infuse me with part of her self. Ganondorf could never have possessed her otherwise." The Twilight Princess gazed into Link's eyes with the calm of the condemned. _"That_ is the bond you felt with me – your natural bond, to your true princess."

_Not again,_ Link thought with an inward groan. "Look, I know I'm connected to Princess Zelda somehow, even if I take Navi out of it. Not every lifetime is the same, though."

"You've talked to Ilia about this. You've talked to me." Midna folded her arms. "Have you talked to Zelda?"

"I am not," Link hissed through gritted teeth, "going to inflict some boyhood fantasy on Zel!"

Midna flinched again, though Link had no idea why. Then she looked up. "Kiss me," she demanded, lowering her arms.

The Hero gaped, blinking. "Wh-what?"

The dark princess flashed him a predatory grin. "Kiss...me. If you even know what a kiss is."

He kissed her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_Din, Nayru and Farore!_

Fire and lightning shot across Midna's lips and down her spine. It was her every dream come to life, the Hero's arms around her, his passion as ferocious as the merciless sun. For an instant, her body moved with a life of its own, her eyes squeezed shut, arms climbing to embrace him, neck arching to yield to him.

_NO!_ Midna froze, eyes flying wide open, the rest of her paralyzed. When Link stopped, lips parting from hers and his own eyes opening, she knew what she had to do. The Twili held herself perfectly still, letting him interpret the dismay in her eyes for himself. _You mean misinterpret,_ she thought guiltily, but it was her only hope – hers, Link's, and Zelda's.

Link stumbled back, his own eyes filling with guilt and grief. "Din sear me. Midna, I'm sorr–"

She gently put her fingers on his lips, silencing him. "I told you," Midna insisted, "to kiss me. I can hardly fault you for complying, even if I never thought you would." She forced a sly smile onto her lips, demanding every mote of manipulative skill she had to obey her command. "I suppose you're a man after all, and you can't expect a man to resist...an offer like mine." The princess swayed saucily to the desk, leaned on it, and regarded him. "Still, while you are attractive, you're a bit more full of yourself than I thought you'd be as well. I am a princess, after all..."

Link glanced away. "And I'm a peasant from a tiny village," he finished hoarsely.

"Exactly." She shrugged. "I really do hope we can remain friends." Midna let her voice become more honest, more friendly. "I owe you so much, and I treated you so badly...I don't know if I can ever repay you. I know you well enough to see, however, that you wouldn't want me to thank you with, well, myself." She straightened, and her smile became genuine as well. "That makes you a very rare man indeed."

"Not so rare that I can't be a bloody fool who sees things that aren't there," he muttered. Link bowed. "Your Highness." Midna nodded imperiously at that, and the Hero retreated stiffly, closing the door behind him.

Very carefully, the Twilight Princess listened until she could no longer hear his retreating footsteps. Then she gently lowered herself onto the bed and cried into the pillow until she had no tears left.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda's hand flashed across the final parchment, writing her final set of instructions should something befall her. She'd written directions to the Shadow Council first, that being the hardest for her to compose. This last set was for the Parliament, and that was mere politics. _It's strange. I thought that, after all the horrors I've seen, I would be afraid of what's to come, but there's a peace in confronting it at last._ She finished the scroll, signed it, blew on it, rolled it up and sealed it in the last waiting canister.

Navi chose that moment to fly under the door and onto her desk. "hey!" she called, waving.

#Hello, friend Navi,# Zelda sent with a gentle smile. #Your timing is impeccable. What brings you here?#

#What else?# Navi replied dryly. #Link wanted me to check on you, which conveniently got rid of me so _he_ could check on the Twilight Princess.# She sat on the desk and folded her arms. #Hmmph. Never seen him acting like such a brain-damaged teenage...#

#Man?# Zelda finished gently. #That's what he is, you know, in this life.#

The fairy laughed honestly at that. #Brain-damaged? Yeah, I believe it.# Zelda coughed, caught between laughter and outrage. #One too many pig-rides if you ask me.#

Zelda cleared her throat and composed herself. #Navi, you know better than that. Link wears his heart on his sleeve, that's all.#

#Pieces of heart, you mean...# Navi muttered defiantly. She pouted at Zelda's half-stern gaze. #I know, I know. He's been through the wringer, I don't need you to tell me that.# The fairy companion gestured in annoyance at the princess. #You haven't been much help, you know.# Zelda felt the powder-blue figure regard her intently. #Wait, don't tell me you're as clueless as he is.#

#Define 'clueless,'# Zelda replied faintly. _Light and Time. How can something so tiny be so utterly relentless?_

#Oh come on, Zel, you're crazy about him,# Navi shot back. #I don't know why you're bottling it up so tightly, and you've definitely kept him from picking up anything aside from the occasional hint, but you can't keep it from me.# She stood, then flew up to eye level. Her arms were still folded. #Just tell me _you_ know how you feel about him.#

Zelda glanced away, just barely keeping the heat from her face. #Navi, he's been hurt badly, more than once. I was going to tell him not long ago, but Midna arrived before I was ready. I can't do that to him now that his wounds have reopened.#

Navi stared for a long moment. #Oh!# She landed on Zelda's shoulder hard enough that the princess felt it, if just slightly. #Farore, Zel, you had me worried. I thought you were being all 'I'm not worthy' again.#

The Princess of Destiny snorted and tossed her quill into its cup. #I know better than to equate love with worth, friend.# She glanced wryly at her minuscule companion. #Truth be told, I'm so frustrated I could scream. Whenever I feel close to being able to tell him, fate kicks my legs out from under me. I'm here writing what amounts to my will, and he's off being rejected by Midna again.# Her hand twitched. #Unless she's not rejecting him again. Nayru, I don't know which would be worse. Link's so...primal, this time.#

#I noticed.# Navi shook her head in amazement. Then she glanced piercingly at the princess. #Hm. So how much _do_ you remember from your Imprisoning War life?#

Zelda shrugged. #Flashes. Dreams. Occasionally, entire scenes float up from the subconscious, moments from different lives.# She shook her head wearily. #That's the worst part, remembering one childhood as Sheik and another as Zelda. It's like a double image, complete with migranes.# Navi winced sympathetically. #I try not to worry about it too much, aside from when the knowledge has immediate application. That was another time, another Zelda. I am who I am, here, now.#

#That's a healthy attitude,# Navi replied slowly, #but Link has to do the same thing. I _want_ to help you two get back together, Zel, but if you don't say something pretty soon, he's going to have to move on with this life himself. He already thinks his feelings for you are just childhood fantasies.#

#Navi, I am all too aware of how he's distanced himself from our natural attraction,# Zelda replied, a hint of bitterness escaping past her control. #I know I can't wait too long, but I can't move too quickly, either.# She gestured furiously, and a chair flew from one corner of the room to a far wall, two of its legs cracking. Navi launched from her shoulder in alarm. Zelda exhaled in bone-deep frustration.

With a burst of smoke and wind, Aryll appeared. "Your Highness?" she asked, looking around the room, hand on the hilt of her _nodachi._

Navi chuckled. #You're crazy about him,# she blurted.

"My apologies, Aryll," Zelda said a touch guiltily, standing. Aryll nodded. "A moment's frustration, nothing more, Din sear the Wind Mage." She glanced at Navi. #You noticed,# she quipped dryly.

Aryll and Navi shared a glance, to Zelda's surprise. The Sheikah nodded and vanished again. Navi followed alongside Zelda as the princess walked toward the door. #So now what?# the fairy asked.

#For now,# Zelda insisted, #we focus on the immediate threat. None of this will matter if that monster enslaves me and murders my Hero.# Navi sobered instantly. Zelda threw open the door and strode towards the warriors' quarters. #I mean to take every inch of my frustration out of Vaati's hide.#

#Whoa. Go, Zelda!# Navi exulted. _I'm not entirely sure what you mean, Navi,_ the princess thought, _but I mean to see this through, from Vaati to Link, and I'll not stop for anything._ She frowned. _Save for what's best for the Hero..._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Epona shifted uncertainly under Link as the Hero led the small group towards Kakariko. Behind him, Zelda, Aryll, Midna, Ike and Soren followed quietly. Even Aryll was on horseback, though she regarded her palfrey dubiously. The Hero's mood lightened at the sight of his sister patting the mare's neck. "I don't think palfreys know _how_ to throw a rider, Aryll," he said encouragingly.

"Sheikah can travel through Shadow," Aryll replied, a slight tremor in her voice. "I do not see why I have to ride this...creature."

Link chuckled and shook his head. "Don't you listen to her, Epona," he said soothingly, stroking his beloved mare's mane. Epona snorted and nodded.

"Aryll," Zelda said, steering Medley to the Sheikah's side and patting Aryll's hand, "we're traveling to see the Great Fairy. I know you could easily avoid disrupting Kakariko, but surely the Fairy Queen would sense such a ripple in Shadow." Aryll grunted and looked away.

"She's been through a lot," Link said seriously, "being trapped in the Cave of Ordeals, cut off from the flow of fairy mana, watching Hyrule's magic weaken. We want to do this as gently as possible."

"Hmph." Aryll started to cross her arms, but grabbed the reins with alacrity when she started to slide off the saddle. "Yet so skittish a spirit is indispensable?"

"We have learned that the solution to our problem is the Sacred Realm," Zelda explained gently. "According to legend, the Temple of Time will permit us to enter that holy dimension. Yet neither the Hero nor I have any idea how to do this. The Great Fairy is timeless. Hopefully, she will know the sacred Temple's secrets."

"The only other immortal we know is Mido," Midna drawled. "Believe me, you don't want to ask him."

"He wasn't that bad," Link put in, and Navi nearly fell out of his hair, "but he mentioned the Great Fairy himself. I think that was a hint."

Navi righted herself after a moment of dangling from one of the Hero's locks. "that does sound like mido. farore, i wish i had a better idea of what the great fairy's up to." The fairy companion flew back under Link's hat. #She...she hasn't really talked to me much.#

The Hero shrugged. #Well, she's relatively new, right? I mean, that's the whole reason we're doing this. According to Zelda, fairy folk eventually become Great Fairies, and Great Fairies ascend to the Sacred Realm instead of dying the way mortals do.# He sent Navi an image of a smile. #She was probably planning to get in touch with you, but some Great King of Evil or another dropped her into a cave in the desert.#

Navi laughed and hugged several strands of his hair. #I love you, you know that?#

Link laughed in kind. #Hey, at least I've got somebody.#

#Don't make me come out there,# Navi quipped.

"Link!" Luda called, waving from her door. A few Hylian newcomers looked out from some of the other houses. While it heartened the Hero to see the old village somewhat repopulated, the furtive way they watched him and the whispers of 'Hero' and 'savior' sent chills down his spine.

_Fire, Love and Wind. Hero of Light wasn't bad enough, now I'm a savior?_ He nudged Epona forward, Princess Zelda following him closely. "Hey, Luda. Good to see the old town doing well." He nodded sideways to the newcomers and gave her a lopsided smile. "Malo must love this."

Luda chuckled. "Indeed, Sir Hero." She bowed formally to Zelda. "Your Highness. I must assume that this is not a social visit?" Zelda nodded, and Link followed suit. "Shall I fetch my father, then?"

"While I would be most grateful for his counsel," Zelda explained, leaning over slightly, "we have actually come to consult the Great Fairy."

"Ah," Luda replied, nodding gravely. Catching Zelda's body language, Link leaped from Epona and offered her his hand. She accepted it with a dazzling smile and allowed him to help her down. "The Great Fairy has been rather shy of late," the girl continued, "especially with so many people moving in and visiting the spring. Of course, I'm sure she will be most happy to greet you all."

Aryll dismounted with an intensely grateful air. "It sounds as though you have had little problem speaking to the Great Fairy, cousin," the Sheikah said with a friendly, familiar timbre.

_I knew it,_ Link thought with a grin. "You two know each other?" he asked mildly.

"I meant that metaphorically, Link," Arll replied with a sigh.

The young Kakarikan chuckled. "The Shadow Tribe has always been kind to my father and I."

Link nodded. "Of course. Is Renado around?" The Hero looked around them, not expecting to find the noble shaman. He was surprised – pleasantly, for a moment – to see the older man come around his house. Link's happiness at seeing his friend plummeted at the sight of Renado's grave expression. "Sir?"

"The Great Fairy is expecting you, noble Hero," the shaman replied, gesturing at the spring. The Hero shook his head in astonishment, but Zelda merely nodded. _Wait, she knew we were coming?_

The princess, apparently sensing his confusion, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Her magic and intuition are both vast, Hero."

Link chuckled. "Kind of like yours, huh?" He blinked in confusion when she withdrew her hand and stared determinedly at the spring. _Oh, Light and Time. What did I do now?_ She gestured wordlessly for them to advance, and he obeyed her in kind with a formal bow. Their companions trailed behind them, Midna shaking her head for some reason but the rest following with an uncertain air. _At least I'm not alone._

#I thought you would have figured out that much by now, Hero,# Navi 'pathed caustically.

_Whoops._ He glanced upward, though he could only sense Navi playing idly with one strand of his hair. #Sorry, Navi. I just wish I knew what was going on.#

Navi radiated sympathy. #You and me both.#

Together, they waded through the spring to where the cluster of fairy energy awaited them. Navi's sisters and brothers swirled gently around the troupe. Link looked up when they reached the rosy column of light...and realized he could 'see' the glamour mana that made up the Great Fairy's presence. _She's looking better, I think,_ he decided. Then the Hero boggled. _Wait, I can see the...I can_ see _the...wow._

As Link stared, the gently spinning lights coalesced into the familiar emerald-haired figure. Her eyes weren't as sad any more, and she was now clad in a dress almost the exact shade of her long tresses. The Hero wasn't sure which change relieved him more. "So, you are here at last." She reached out and caressed his cheek. "I always believed that you would come. Because I know you..."

Link gasped – memories flooded him in a rush –

" _Finally, a fairy came to you, Link! Wow! That's great news! I'm so happy for you!"_

– a beautiful green-haired woman...girl?...was the only one who cared...

" _Oh, you're leaving... I knew... that you would leave the forest... someday, Link... Because you are different from me and my friends... But that's OK, because we'll be friends forever... won't we?"_

...he would rather have driven the sword through his stomach than abandon her, but if he didn't go, didn't fight for the forest, she'd be...

" _...it is destiny that you and I can't live in the same world."_

...torn apart again, just when he'd found her...

_"Are you saying that this Link is from a completely different world? I won't believe that! He's our Link!"_

...always there when he needed her most...

_"I ask that the court recognize Link, Crown Prince of the Kokiri."_

...no matter the world, no matter the Time...

"...Saria?" he finally breathed, stumbling back, eyes wide. Navi shot from his head like a tiny rocket. Zelda stumbled behind him with a small splash.

The Great Fairy smiled beatifically. "You look...so much like you did." She chuckled musically and looked down at her own graceful form. "Which is more than I can say for myself."

"I thought Kokiri remained children for all time," Midna said, leaning forward and peering closely at the Fairy Queen. She stepped back, eyes bulging wide, when Link stepped between the Twilight Princess and the Great Fairy, a low growl echoing in his throat. "Farore!" she gasped.

A gentle hand from behind brought the Hero back to his senses. "It's all right, Link." The Hero backed away from the Twilight Princess, appalled at what he'd done. _Light and Time, what was that?_ he wondered even as Saria continued. "Midna, as Zelda explained to you earlier, those of the fairy legacy do not grow old so much as change, and even Kokiri cannot remain the same forever."

Realization struck Link like a thunderbolt. "She didn't say fairies. She said fairy _folk."_ His head whipped around almost of its own accord to stare in amazement at the princess, but her own expression was smooth and unreadable. "Did you know...?"

"I knew that she was a Kokiri," Zelda replied, her faint, paper-thin voice belying her calm features. "I thought she had been a girl named Fado."

The Great Fairy – Saria – laughed at that. "You've been peeking," she said, no hint of accusation in her voice. Zelda nodded, starting to look at stunned as Link felt. The Fairy Queen's jovial demeanor faded as she took them in, again turning to face the Hero. "I cannot blame her, I suppose. Oh, Link, I wish we had more time...but I fear that time is of the essence. You have come for the secret of the Sacred Realm?"

Link nodded. _I have so many questions..._ From the look on her face, Saria wanted to answer them. He nodded with fierce reluctance. For some reason, the Fairy Queen smiled at that. "Mido owes me five rupees." When the Hero opened his mouth at that, remembering the diminutive champion, Saria held up her hand. "I know, he sent you. We have much to discuss, he and I, but that is for another time. Link, Zelda," she continued, taking them both in with a meaningful glance, "you two are the key to the Sacred Realm."

As one, each looked at the back of his/her hand, Link at his left, Zelda at her right. In clear response, the Triforce glowed on each. "Yes, you understand. The Temple of Time is the gateway to the Sacred Realm, but that gateway has been but half a bridge for a thousand years. For that bridge to be complete, something that should be in the Sacred Realm must be returned."

"And how are they supposed to do that?" Midna asked, more caustic than ever. "If they can't reach the Sacred Realm without the Triforce being there, and the Triforce is in this Realm of Light, that would seem to present a problem."

Saria smiled with gentle patience Link didn't feel. _If you're trying to irritate me, Midna,_ he thought ferociously, _you're succeeding admirably._ The Great Fairy gestured at Link's hand. "That would be a problem...had one portion of the bridge not already been returned."

"Ganondorf," Zelda said, straightening.

Link nodded forcefully. "When he died, the symbol of the Triforce vanished from his hand."

"With the Demon Thief no more," the Fairy Queen explained with a nod, "the Triforce of Power returned to its rightful place. There, it awaits its sibling elements." Midna's dubious expression vanished, but Saria looked more grave than ever. "The process is a simple matter of standing before the Pedestal of Time and offering your piece to the Golden Land. Once done, however, this cannot be undone. You will be separated from the Triforce once more, most likely forever."

Link started to shrug. "It's not mine–" he said, then found himself choking on the next words. He looked again at the Triforce symbol on his hand, glowing as if to argue the point. It felt _more_ than his – as if it was a part of him. The Hero suddenly felt as if the gods were asking him to cut off his own arm. A glance at Zelda told him the princess felt the same way, her stare mirroring his own.

When his eyes took in the others, however, they skipped across Aryll's and Ike's sympathetic winces and found Midna caught between horrors. _She'd rather tear off her own arm,_ he realized, _than ask us to do this...but she's not asking us for herself._ Steeling himself, Link gazed as evenly as he could at Saria. "The Triforce belongs to the goddesses and the Sacred Realm. They left it there to serve all Hyrule, not just one person."

"Or two," Zelda whispered, clutching her right hand with her left.

Saria nodded. "Then you must make haste. The Twilight Realm remains safe, for the moment," she continued, and Midna exhaled in relief, "but soon Vaati will breach the gap between dimensions. If he succeeds, both Realms will be in danger of falling."

Link nodded back, then turned to go. Before he took a step, though, he glanced behind him and smiled. "We'll have that talk when this is over. I promise."

"Then Vaati is all but beaten," Saria replied with a gentle laugh, then faded back into the rosy swirl of light, attended by her fairies.

Soren snorted. "Interesting gods you have here," he noted dryly. Link's eyes glittered as hard and sharp as diamonds at that, but Ike leaned over to Soren and whispered something to the sorcerer that made him cough. "Then again, they are undoubtedly an improvement over our previous divine experiences," he admitted quickly.

Link leaned over to Aryll. "Did you catch what Ike said?" he whispered to her.

"Just one word. 'Ashera,'" Aryll replied softly. The Hero stared for a moment, until she shrugged. "I don't understand it either." For some reason, though, Midna chuckled.

_Then again, maybe Soren has a point,_ Link conceded with a long-suffering sigh.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda realized, as they walked up to the Pedestal of Time, that she had released her left hand's grip on her right exactly twice since visiting Saria: mounting and dismounting Medley. _Link's right. It's not mine. They don't belong to us. The Triforce was placed in the Sacred Realm...to..._ There, her vaunted wisdom and insight failed her. Why in the name of Courage, Wisdom and Power _had_ the goddesses left the Triforce behind? _What has it brought our world beyond sorrow, pain and catastrophe?_ The trees around them swayed in the wind, a shaft of sunlight illuminating the great Pedestal with an almost holy aura.

The Princess of Destiny took a long, deep breath. _Faith, Zelda. Have faith. Faith sustained you when you were handed a kingdom to rule at the age of twelve, it succored you when you were forced to surrender that kingdom in turn to a tyrannical monster, and it has kept you whole while you hid the truth of your heart..._ she looked at the Hero, who seemed to be completely at ease. _...in the face of a love that looked to shatter it. That faith has never been wrong before. Hold fast to it now._ She strode to his side, and her heart leaped when he took her right hand in his left. "Are you ready, Zelda?"

"No," she admitted, "but 'twere best done quickly." At last, her death grip on her own hand relented, freed by his touch. Together, they held up their arms. Behind them, their four companions shielded their eyes from the golden light that burst from them. Though Zelda could see nothing other than the two pieces of the Triforce and the shining beacon they became, her eyes didn't hurt in the least. If Link's rapt stare was any indication, neither did his.

Slowly, the twin golden wonders slid from their skin, and Zelda felt something long twined about her spirit uncoil. She could feel, though, that it left something behind, and somehow, she felt no less whole as the great symbols of Wisdom and Courage lifted away from them. They grew until they seemed to fill all the world, then faded into a distance that was not height or breadth or depth. In moments, they were gone.

Link let out a shuddering breath. "That...that was..." Zelda guided his arm back down, then gripped it. _You hid that better than I thought you could, my Hero,_ she thought, _but I see your sense of loss now. Know that it is not as great as you think._ She concentrated, and he straightened in shock when he felt what the Triforce of Courage had left behind.

#I love watching you work,# Navi sent saucily.

#Thank you,# Zelda replied calmly, #but now is really not the time.# She looked around, then up. _Wait. Where is..._ she looked at the others. Soren and Ike were conferring quietly, already having noticed the lack of anything happening. Midna's brow had grown thunderheads. And Aryll...Aryll was staring at Link's back with an intensity that made Zelda wonder if she would bore holes in her brother with it. _Oh. Of course._ "Link, the Master Sword."

The Hero glanced at Zelda, then the Pedestal. "What, I put it in and take it out?" He drew the blade and stared at it uncertainly. "I've done that before, but for this, it seems...anti-climactic."

"I suspect," Zelda said evenly, forcing herself not to smile, "that it will not seem so when you actually do it, my Hero." She gestured at the Pedestal in a manner she hoped was encouraging. Link nodded, rubbed the back of his left hand with the handle of his shield, then inserted the blade.

It was as if someone had struck a gong the size of Hyrule. The entire Light Realm seemed to ring with a resonant note from that one gentle click of sword into stone. A flight of sapphire blue stairs rippled from the Pedestal base, climbing to the edge of the forest. There, they stopped, a column – no, a cylinder – of light the same color of the stairs appearing at the end. Link swallowed and pulled the blade from its resting place. The stairs and cylinder remained, the latter shimmering with a shower of light from far above the canopy of the world.

Zelda and her Hero looked at one another, eyes locking. As one, they nodded. He sheathed his blade, they clasped hands, and together, they ascended the sorcerous staircase. Behind them, they heard the others follow. Once they were all within the cylinder's bounds, everything seemed to stretch and blur around them, until the world was nothing more than a flash of sapphire wall and silver streaking light.

When the blurring stopped, they were standing before a golden pyramid so titanic, it was all Zelda could see at first. When she adjusted to the shining light reflected from it to look around, she had to grasp the Hero's hand to avoid stumbling in amazement. She suspected his sudden squeeze was an identical reaction.

The golden sky shone above them, almost as if the sun had been stretched from horizon to horizon. A crimson cloud wafted past them in a form not unlike a Gerudo warrior's head. It seemed to be winking at them. A flock of birds flew overhead; they looked like doves for an instant, but then Zelda realized they were every color of the rainbow. Even more astonishing to the princess was how their formation kept their colors in order, like a rainbow in flight.

Then an exquisite smell surrounded them, and Zelda saw the jasmine fields that surrounded their sapphire walkway. She realized with a shock that they had released their scent for them deliberately. "Don't pick the flowers," she said quietly, still stunned.

Link shook his head. "This...this _place_...it's..."

"Impossible," Soren replied in shocked astonishment.

"Sacred," Midna said gently, swallowing. "No wonder my tribe was exiled...what soul could be so cruel as to defile such a place?"

The Hero stiffened. "Ganondorf," he rumbled. "I'm sorry, friends, but this is not our destination, just a waypoint. Let's go." He took a step, then stopped, realizing he was still holding the princess' hand. He looked at her questioningly.

_He...he didn't let go._ For some reason, that made Zelda's heart fly more than anything he'd done before. She smiled and stepped beside him. "Shall we, my Hero?"

"Of course, Princess Zelda." He bowed to her, and together, they strode to the pyramid's great golden doors. They stopped for a moment when the doors opened before the pair reached them. "Mmm." Link grimaced slightly, but Zelda tugged ever so gently at his hand, and he continued forward with her.

Aryll appeared beside them in a cloud of smoke, Sheikah needles in one hand. "I like this not," she muttered, looking at the darkened hall ahead of them. "Why is there no one to greet us in the Temple of Light? Guards, servants, a Sage, anyone?"

Globes lit up all the way down the hall. They revealed magnificent portraits all the way down, of Sages, Light Spirits, various images of the three goddesses, and multiple incarnations of the Hero and the Princess. Most of the pair were quite youthful, appearing to be in their early to mid-teens. The Hero of Time was there as child and adult, as was the Princess of Destiny. Far ahead, at the very edge of their field of vision, two portraits of the pair looked across the hall at each other. One was of the Hero of Light with a sword-bearing Zelda, just as she was in that moment. An afterimage of Sheik stood, translucent, behind the princess. The other was of a much younger Hero with enormous eyes and a baton of some kind, and a lady of like age in blue, with a nigh-impossible swirl of hair and a scimitar in her belt. A young Princess Zelda armed with a Light Bow stood behind her in like half-presence, much as Sheik did in their portrait. "We are being greeted, Aryll. My Hero?" Link nodded, and they continued on.

At the other end of the long hall was another massive pair of doors, with a single Triforce image etched into them. It glowed, making the razor-thin gap between the doors all the more obvious down the center of the Triforce of Power. They stopped before the mighty golden portal, this one not opening as they approached. Link and Zelda looked at one another. The Hero shrugged and reached for one of the handles.

They opened then, Link pulling his hand back with alacrity as more mystic blue light washed out towards them. The great Chamber of Sages faded into existence before them, and even Midna and Soren gasped in amazement.

"Well," a girl's voice said kindly, and Zelda looked down to find a green-haired adolescent holding a thick book looking up at her, "shall we?" She walked out into the nothing between the door and the Chamber, and a smaller hexagon appeared beneath her feet.

"F-Farore?" Link breathed. "Wait, but...are you oracle, or goddess?"

Farore laughed musically. "Honestly, Link, you say that like there has to be a difference." She shrugged, walking forward. The small blue hexagon followed her, remaining beneath her feet. "I suppose that's not fair, though. The power of a goddess cannot be contained in the mortal world, so it must be left behind when we project something of ourselves there. Here, the infinite takes on the appearance of forms, that mortals might commune with that which is sacred." She stopped and turned, smiling and gesturing for them to follow. "Come on!"

Link shrugged again, let Zelda's hand go, and walked forward three paces. Zelda gasped. _Searing fearless – !_ she swore in her mind, but another azure platform had appeared beneath the Hero. He grinned sheepishly, walked back to the edge, and held out his hand. "It's safe."

For a moment, Zelda considered not taking his hand. He saw something in her expression, though, and his confidence slipped with his smile, and the princess couldn't help it. She walked up, took his hand in hers, and joined him on the platform. All the same, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "don't _ever_ do that again."

"I'm sorry, Zel, but I saw Farore do it, and I figured she wouldn't have led us this way if it weren't safe..." Link explained quietly, sounding chagrined and very...human. He looked around for Farore, even more embarrassed when it became clear that she'd vanished. Zelda nodded in acknowledgment, and the small group walked to the legendary platform from which the Sages imprisoned Ganon. _And may he remain in the Evil Realm...forever..._

There was a tiny sphere in the heart of the Triforce symbol. The minuscule amount of light that brushed against it shifted to deep violet and swirled into the endless depths of the void within. "What in the name of the gods?" Zelda breathed. Aryll made the symbol of the Triforce over her heart. Link slowly drew the Master Sword and tried to point it at the orb...but even he couldn't keep the Blade directed exactly at it from where he stood.

"It is not often," a woman's gentle voice echoed around them, "that the Power to Repel Evil is as much figurative double-edged sword as literal, but that is too great a horror for the Blade of Evil's Bane to harm." As she coalesced before them, Zelda realized that the newcomer's hair wasn't translucent, it really _was_ that blue. Her harp, while unlike any the princess had seen before, still seemed familiar somehow. It made her think, of all things, of Sheik.

"Nayru," Zelda gasped, then started to bow. She stopped, frozen by the realization that she hadn't done the same for Farore.

Many men had complimented Zelda by calling her laugh musical. Nayru's was _literally_ musical, a mixture of bells and strings that soothed her every fear. "It is all right, my Princess," she replied, gesturing for Zelda to straighten. The princess did so, half-smiling wryly.

"What..." Link waved the Master Sword's point at the mote as directly as he could.

Nayru's humor evaporated. "That," she said slowly, crouching before it, "is the Evil Realm."

Zelda stumbled back. "What? Why is it here?"

"Because it must be," the Oracle explained. "Because this was the only place he could be drawn, the only Realm with the power to restrain him. And...because I still believe there is hope – hope for the Gerudo King, and hope for an old friend." She sighed and straightened. "This is not why you are here. You seek the Twilight Realm." Midna nodded fiercely. "Then take your places as the Sages would."

Zelda looked at the various platforms. "Most holy Nayru...there is no platform for Time..." she gasped when Link took her hand. "Link, no, _you_ are the Hero of Light in this incarnation..." she objected weakly, but allowed herself to be led to the symbol of Light. Sheikah training kept the blush from her cheeks when he smiled at her, but only barely. He strode to the Forest symbol to her left.

Aryll and Midna looked at one another dubiously. _Oh dear. Only one of them can take..._ Zelda kept her relief to herself when the Hero's sister gestured for Midna to take her place on the Shadow seal to Zelda's right. Once Midna was in place, Aryll vanished, reappearing on the platform for the Sage of Water and juggling needles in one hand. Zelda recognized it for the nervous tic it was, but said nothing.

Ike and Soren looked at the remaining platforms. "I do not recognize these symbols," the mage admitted reluctantly.

"Fire," Link said simply, pointing to his left, then gestured directly across from him, "and Spirit."

Ike chuckled at the explosive expression that blossomed on Soren. "I'll take Spirit, if you like."

"You're the Lord of the Fire Emblem," Soren shot back, tone as dry as the ancient desert. "The gods will have their little jest, it seems..." he paled slightly when he remembered Nayru's presence.

"I would not laugh at such serendipity," Nayru replied gently. "Merely, I would say that when the people of your homeland believed that you possess a spiritual wisdom, only the source of their belief was inaccurate, not their conclusion." With a duck of Soren's head to hide his face in his long hair (and a fond chuckle from Ike), the lithe sorcerer walked to the Spirit seal. Ike completed the set on the symbol of Fire.

Nayru nodded, and shafts of light enveloped them all. "Wait," Soren croaked, no doubt as overwhelmed by the rush of mana as Zelda herself. "The princess didn't want to bring an army through your 'Sacred Realm,' but Vaati surely has an army waiting for _us..."_

"So does the Twilight Princess," the divine Oracle replied, and then all was a blur of Light and majesty.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Link didn't know whether he was going to become a wizard on the instant or simply explode. The cascading force surged through him like lightning. In all his quest, he'd never felt so overwhelmed, or so invincible. The Hero could almost feel lines of power etching themselves on his face. He imagined conjuring armor from pure magic, spiraling the Master Sword into a great silvery helix and cutting through Vaati in a single implacable blow. His eyes felt ready to shoot fire like some divine avenger of myth. He thought he might be sick. Then all at once, the feeling ceased, and the Hero was once again on literally familiar ground.

The Twilight Realm stretched out before them, the familiar rain of shadow falling up into the dark clouds. The ever-present glow behind those clouds, as before, seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Yet there was a strange tinge of violet to the light. It was beautiful in its way, but it worried the Hero. _It feels...familiar, somehow._

"Vaati," Navi rumbled furiously in his mind.

"She lives," Link drawled. "What, he turned the sky purple?"

The fairy snorted. "It's probably the only place in the Realm he could find to keep his ego."

Everyone chuckled at that. "You're sounding well, Navi," Midna noted gently.

"So you are," the Hero agreed happily. "You feel stronger, too."

"Huh." Navi stood, then flew out of his hat and spun around the group. "You're right. I am." She looked at Midna intently. Then, Link felt the two make mental contact. _Uh-oh._ He couldn't tell what they were saying – not without eavesdropping, at any rate – but saw little chance of anything good coming out of that.

#Have faith, Hero,# Zelda sent. "Come," she said aloud, gesturing for them to follow. "We must hurry if we are to catch them unaware."

Link nodded. "If this Vaati is half as dangerous as his reputation says, we've got our work cut out for us." He strode forward, the passing months having dimmed his memory of Midna's Realm not at all.

While they advanced, Soren looked around them with a piercing, analytical gaze. Three times he checked his book, gestured, then continued with the group. Finally, Ike stopped and looked at the sorcerer. "What are you doing?" he asked, perplexed.

"Examining this purple haze," Soren replied simply. He paused before closing his book. "Though...I must admit, this Realm does have a strange beauty to it."

Midna smiled. "I'd hardly call it strange, but we are fond of it." She strode up nearly to the Hero. Zelda was already to his left, so Midna moved towards his right. Link stopped when he heard grumbling, though, and peered warily around the outcropping before him. He gestured for the princesses to do the same, then froze.

The field before Midna's citadel didn't so much teem as move like a living thing. Link's eyes widened at the sight of the army of Moblins, Darknuts and some sort of land-based octopi. _Octoroks,_ some ancient memory told him, even as further monstrosities boiled over Midna's kingdom. Onox stood atop a titanic Gohma. Veran smiled slyly as she guided a clawed behemoth whose torso was topped with a single massive eye. His Shadow leaned against a hillside, twirling his blade and looking bored. Vaati himself hovered over the entire mass, arms outstretched and fingers curled inward like grasping talons. He waved the princesses back, then ducked behind the rock face himself and grimaced. "Link?" Zelda asked, clearly worried about him. Midna's expression was nearly identical. "What's wrong?"

Link grimaced ferociously. "This is going to be a little harder than I thought."


	7. Part I, Chapter Six: Shields Will Shatter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Six: Shields Will Shatter

"Okay, here's my plan," Link whispered.

Aryll smirked. "You have a plan? I figured you for the 'make it up as you go along' type."

The others chuckled quietly, even Zelda hiding a slight smile behind a politely raised hand, but Midna was shaking her head even as she laughed. "Oh, he makes plans, believe me. You just didn't see most of them because he was planning _around_ me." They were crouched in a circle behind one of the outcroppings overlooking the plain.

_Farore,_ the Hero thought, his face growing warm. "It...wasn't that bad," he replied quietly.

"You're too sweet for your own good, Hero," Midna drawled.

Zelda gave up and laughed. "Every time," she agreed.

_Huh? Oh, she must remember more of our past lives than I do,_ Link realized. When he added that conclusion to what she'd just said, his face went straight to glowing hot. Ike inched forward, smiling but looking serious all the same. "This is all as amusing as it is educational, but I believe the Hero was about to outline his plan."

Link threw the Fire Emblem Lord a grateful look, then nodded and leaned forward. The others erased their grins and gave him their full attention. Navi even flew out of his hat, landed on Aryll's shoulder, and stared at him intently. For an instant, the Hero felt self-conscious, then shoved it aside. "Okay. Midna, you're going to take Zelda, Aryll and Soren to your castle." Everyone but Ike scowled at that, but Link bulled forward. "You and Aryll will guide Zelda and Soren through Shadow. Midna can show you a side entrance. With your skills and a bit of luck, you'll get in before anyone notices you."

"And where will you two be during all this?" Aryll replied curtly. Soren already had his arms folded in stubborn denial. "Or do I even have to ask?"

Ike tapped the hilt of his massive sword. "Clearly, we are the distraction."

"Exactly," Link agreed with a nod. The others' frowns deepened. "I'll 'stumble' and be discovered. Ike and I will hold this spot until the rest of you can bring reinforcements from the castle."

"And if we can't, we can retreat at our leisure, can't we?" Ike added with a wink for Soren.

Soren almost bared his teeth. "Oh, without question. No doubt the dread Onox would never think of flanking you. Nor would Vaati summon monsters atop your heads, or send his flying beasts to bombard you." The sorcerer glared at his commander. "Tell me you are not this mad."

"It's a good plan," Ike replied with a calm Link could tell was forced. "You can reach the castle long before the Hero and I are in any true danger." He turned a mild gaze on the Hero in question. "Though I think I should be the one to 'stumble' into view. They do not know me as well, and you are more agile than I." Ike smiled. "I rather hope they get overeager coming after me, to be honest." Link sighed.

Zelda bit her lip. Though he'd never seen her do that before, the expression looked familiar to the Hero for some reason. "Link, I dislike this plan. Surely we can all traverse Shadow together."

_Huh?_ Link shook his head. "Not with Veran and Shadow Me out there. If we don't distract them, one of them will spot us long before we reach the castle." He gave Zelda a worried look. "Zelda, I shouldn't have to be telling you this. Are you all right? Is the Twilight Realm affecting you?"

"No," Zelda replied firmly. "No, I am not being affected by...the Twilight Realm." She looked away, grimacing. Then, nodding to herself, she straightened. "You are right. This is the best way."

Midna swore something that literally peeled light off their glowing outcropping. Navi bobbed in what Link could feel as frustrated agreement with the Twili. "If Zelda says it...well, it still stinks worse than Bulblin breath, but there's really no arguing the point now." She glared at the Hero. "I'm airlifting you and golden boy out as soon as we're clear, got it?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Link said gravely. Midna folded her arms and stared all the more fiercely, but obviously couldn't come up with any further indignation with the Hero so disagreeably...agreeing with her. "We should move," he continued before anyone else could object. "The longer we wait, the better the chance some monster will stumble upon us."

Soren made a choking noise, but Ike put a hand on the slender man's shoulder, and he subsided. "T'were best done quickly," the sorcerer grumbled quietly. "Midna? Aryll?" Midna placed one hand on Zelda's shoulder, but Zelda patted it and gestured. The kuji-in transformed her into Sheik, and both Ike and Soren boggled for a moment. "So that's what the portrait implied," Soren muttered.

Sheik nodded. "Midna, you take Soren. Aryll and I will flank you," she said, then placed her own hand on the Hero's arm. "Be careful, Link. Vaati hates you almost as much as he desires Zelda."

The Hero nodded back seriously. "In all honesty, Sheik, I'm counting on it." He watched the unlikely quartet gather. Soren looked at Ike one last, achingly forlorn time, then stood next to Midna. Link turned to Ike, who was poised at the edge of the outcropping. "You ready?" the Hero asked.

Ike nodded. "I'm surprised you didn't argue with me about who 'trips.'" He checked his grand, massive blade one more time. "That's quite an army down there."

"Indeed," Link said calmly, adjusting his shield. "I don't agree that you're more likely to slip up than I, commander, but they don't know you as well as they do me. You're right that it will make them less suspicious." He braced himself. "As for the army, we've both faced worse odds. This is a highly defensible position, and we won't need to hold it for long." _I hope._ He looked cautiously around the outcropping at the teeming mass. "You do believe it's a good plan, then."

"I don't lie to Soren," Ike said with his deceptive mildness. The Fire Emblem Lord smiled then. "Sometimes he acts more like my mother than my strategos. I wouldn't worry him needlessly, but I wouldn't try to give him false confidence either. He'd see right through it anyway." The others faded into shadow. "Give the word."

Link counted to himself. _...three, two, one..._ He looked up. "Now."

Just as a few creatures were looking up at 'nothing' in the distance, Ike stumbled out from the rocks. "Uh-oh," he muttered. Link yelped and leaped out, grabbing his shield.

The effect was stunning. Almost as one, the mass of monstrosities turned and gaped at the duo. They howled in triumphant hunger and charged in a near-mindless inchoate mass. Ike and Link drew their swords in workmanlike manner, the Hero's glowing with the power of the Sols. "Protect the princess!" the Hero shouted.

"I'd leave it at that," Ike whispered.

Link nodded. "I meant to." He smiled faintly, with dark satisfaction. "Aside from my lack of acting skills, let's leave them guessing as to which princess I meant, hm?"

Only the sudden assault of the Primids and Bokoblins kept Ike from laughing. Instead he grunted, dispersing their assailants into dark mana with expert slashes. "Aether!" he shouted, surging into the air and coming down with an explosive crack.

_It's working,_ the Hero decided, with Vaati and Veran both turning to watch them, and Shadow Link actually fighting through the crowding forces. The shadowy replica even drew his blade and started hacking through Primids. _Even better than I hoped. Maybe this won't be so impossible after all._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shadow was not as cold as Sheik remembered, here in the Twilight Realm, but it was cold enough. Soren clung to Midna, eyes closed, and Aryll swam through the darkness with artless efficiency. Though it was not the icy stream it was in the Light Realm, Shadow here had a menace it did not in her home reality.

With a shock, the Sheikah realized that the menace was not native. _Nayru help us,_ she thought in a near-panic, daring to thin Shadow itself for a glance into what passed here for Light. The army was turning, creatures moving at less than half their speed, but still far more swiftly than they should have been from Shadow's perspective. _They're turning away from us. Link's plan is working,_ Sheik thought, trying to reassure herself. It wasn't helping. "Midna, we must hurry."

"I'm working on it!" Midna snapped. The Twilight Princess was almost literally pushing Shadow aside. Aryll threw Sheik a worried look. Sheik nodded back. The Shadow itself was thickening ahead. _Our options are limited,_ Sheik thought in frustration. _What can we..._

One possibility occurred to her. It wasn't pleasant, but at least it would deal with their problem quickly. "Aryll, grab my waist," Sheik said.

Aryll complied. "Sheik, what...no. Oh no." Her fellow Sheikah shook her head. "Sheik, you can't. Not here."

Sheik gestured to the thin spot she'd made between Twilight and Shadow, at the terrible army Vaati had gathered. "I am open," she noted flatly, "to suggestions." Aryll gritted her teeth, but said nothing. Sheik performed the kuji-in that would change her back to Zelda.

The Shadow itself roiled and howled in objection. Veran's head snapped around as if struck, even given the comparative slowness of activity in the Twilight Realm. Sheik shifted and warped, clamping her jaw shut to keep from screaming. She was Sheik _and_ Zelda at the same time, one eye red, one blue, hair unable to decide whether it was short or long, muscle mass changing density from one instant to the next. Midna turned and gasped in horror. Even Soren seemed appalled in his sympathy for her.

After a few seconds of eternal torment, Zelda took form in Aryll's arms. "You crazy, reckless princess!" Aryll blurted, but hugged Zelda tightly. Weakly at first, but with strength increasing by the second, Zelda gestured ahead of them. The Shadow tried to congeal further, but Light flowed in tiny streams from Zelda's fingertips. The knot of thickness in Shadow that lay between them and the castle dissipated. "Midna, hurry," Zelda whispered.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Midna grumbled. Twilight tentacles grabbed Aryll and Zelda, and Midna _moved._ There was a shift of Shadow and space, and they were in Midna's throne room. Veran screamed like a thousand angry harpies. Aryll gestured, and the two Hylian women spilled out into the Twilight Realm proper. Midna and Soren took form by their sides.

Soren summoned a flame next to him, shivering while he warmed himself at it. Zelda stumbled to it, soaking in its heat gratefully. "Well done, Soren," she said through chattering teeth.

"I would admonish you for that," Soren replied quietly, "but the sooner we were out of that, the less the danger to Ike and your Hero."

"Indeed," Zelda agreed with a shuddering nod. "Though I'll not do that again without considerable need."

Midna stormed over to their side, fists on her hips. "Good," she snarled, "because you just gave away the surprise Link is paying for."

"Better that than to 'give away' the Hero and Lord Ike," Zelda replied, watching the Twili gather with astonishing speed, "but I pray that you are wrong." With that, she reached into her fairy space and pulled out a tablet with the Triforce on it. Zelda placed it carefully on the ground, then reached in again and pulled out the Ocarina of Time.

Aryll gaped. "That's...that's..."

"Our surprise," Zelda said with a grin. "Midna, my friend, if this works you are about to get reinforcements." Placing the Ocarina to her lips, she played her lullaby as if she'd been trained in the instrument from birth.

The effect was as astounding as it was instantaneous. A glowing golden circle formed over the tablet, exploding outward until it formed an arch that reached to the ceiling. Within it was a portal that showed Telma, Ashei, Rusl and a mixture of Greil mercenaries and the best Hylian knights. _Admittedly, 'best' is relative here, but they've done well so far,_ Zelda thought. Then she swayed, and Midna appeared at her side to catch her.

"That's enough out of you," Midna said without heat. "Daltus, a chair for Her Highness."

One of the more impressive-looking Twili sped off, only to appear a moment later, two others trailing him with a plush seat between them. Zelda didn't argue, sitting heavily. "Your Highness," Daltus said to Midna, "Our forces are ready to counterattack. Simply give the word, and we will show these villains just whom they are facing!"

Midna gave him a deeply grateful look. Zelda herself was a touch amazed. All she had heard about the Twili from the Hero confirmed her vague memories of Midna's time here with Link. They were peaceful to the point of almost total inactivity, or rather, they had been. The Twili present all carried spears with glowing tips.

Aryll fussed over Zelda, straightening her hair and checking her pulse. "Ninety a minute, I'd guess," she muttered, and pulled out a potion. Again, Zelda complied, drinking the blue tonic without argument. Strength and mana rushed into her, and after a moment's shudder, she stood, fully restored. "Link would have had ten different kinds of kittens if he'd seen that stunt of yours."

"Then it is fortunate he did not," Zelda replied with a gentle smile, though her good humor vanished quickly. "Come. We must hurry. Veran's awareness of me relieved Link and Ike somewhat, but if we are to aid them–"

"But Your Highness!" Daltus blurted. Zelda sighed.

"Just do it," Midna insisted forcefully, limbs of solid Twilight forming around her once again. "Soren will know what to do if they try something strange. Just get out there and break that siege line!" Soren straightened gravely and nodded.

Zelda strode towards Midna, but before she could reach her fellow princess, Midna literally flew up to the balcony and out over the field. "And you called me reckless?" the Princess of Wisdom asked Aryll.

The Hero's sister thought a moment. "Yes," she said with a grin.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midna shot through the air, eyes locked on the Hero and his ally. A few winged monsters dared to assault the Twilight Princess, but Midna easily obliterated them with her spear. Shadow Link stopped carving his way through his own troops to glare at her. One of Vaati's floating eyes watched her emotionlessly. Midna ignored them for the moment.

Link and Ike were destroying Vaati's troops in truly absurd numbers. They had developed a pattern, Ike leaping up just as the Hero performed his Spin Attack, then the mercenary throwing his sword into the air with a shout of "Aether!" The Hero blocked for Ike with his shield then, the powerful beorc flying up, grabbing his massive blade, and coming down with a ferocious crash. They'd use a few other maneuvers briefly, then start over. _Not the sharpest swords in the arsenal, are they?_ Midna mused, regarding the apparently mindless masses charging into the beast-grinder the pair had created.

Something larger was approaching. Midna glanced down and saw the Moblins giving way to a phalanx of Darknuts leading the Gohma. Onox swung his flail about him experimentally, then nodded in satisfaction. _Oh my. Time to go._ She dove, easily outpacing the monsters.

"What?" Ike was asking the Hero, clearly continuing a conversation begun earlier.

"I was just remembering Ilia. 'Don't try to do anything out of your league,' she said." The Hero chuckled wryly. "I imagine this qualifies."

"Hardly," Ike drawled, cutting through two Moblins with a single stroke. "These creatures are no match for us." Indeed, as the mighty warrior spoke, the Moblins and Primids retreated and parted.

Link merely pointed with the Master Sword through the gap the foot soldiers had made. Ike grimaced when he saw the Darknuts approaching, forming a vanguard for Onox and the Gohma. Midna chose that moment to swoop in, enjoying the squawks of surprise from the two handsome men as her Twilight limbs scooped them up. "Sorry, boys, Air Midna's here to take you away from all your troubles."

"You're apologizing for that?" Ike replied dryly, holding onto the energy tentacle with his free hand.

Midna considered that while she flew for the citadel. "No," she replied with a wicked grin.

The Vaati eye that had been watching her unleashed a Beamos blast, slicing through both tentacles carrying men and striking her full on. Midna grunted, and all three fell. _Where in Light or Shadow did Vaati get that kind of power?_ she wondered, managing to use her power to right herself and land lightly. Ike landed on his feet, the mercenary captain grunting but seeming otherwise unharmed. Link rolled with the impact and sprang upright, unhurt as always. Immediately, they fought off the army they'd landed among, swords flashing and dark energy exploding around them like shadowy fireworks. Midna joined them, Twilight Spear spinning and destroying enemies wherever it touched them.

"Din sear you all!" Shadow Link swore explosively, spinning to clear the area around him, then running on the tops of the foot soldiers' heads to get past them. His Clawshot latched onto a flying Shadow Kargarok, and he pulled himself over, only to be dumped to the ground when the creature proved incapable of carrying the Dark Hero for long. He rolled to cushion the impact – _just like the real thing,_ Midna thought in frustration – and ran towards her. Link gasped and carved his way towards her, but there was no question which Hero would reach her first.

At that moment, the gates opened, and Daltus strode to the fore, the Twilight Army massed behind him. "Charge!" he roared, and they did, Hylian knights and beorc mercenaries woven among them. Ashei bellowed a fierce roar and tore Moblins apart wherever she went. Soren strode to one side and rained fire on their enemies. Zelda matched him at first from the other side of the gate, then surged forward, floating as much as running.

"At last," Vaati breathed, and flew towards her. Aryll appeared out of Shadow to meet him, kicking him from above. The Wind Mage swore and fired deadly beams at her, to no avail – she vanished again before they could touch her. The final battle for Twilight had been truly engaged.

Shadow Link ignored it all, smashing a pair of Twili aside with his shield as he reached her. For all the fury in his eyes, Midna couldn't help feeling a burst of hope when she saw him spare her people. "Shadow, wait," she began.

He gave her no chance to continue. He caught her arm in one Clawshot, leaped forward, wrapped the chain around her with astonishing speed, then pinned her against the nearby rock face. His dark blade appeared at her throat. "Not a chance. Let Vaati play his games. I'm here for exactly one thing." Shadow Link bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile. "And I've got it."

"And you do not care," Midna whispered, the moment's surge of hope fading, "what my own feelings on the matter are."

Shadow Link shuddered. _Or maybe he does?_ He shook his head, apparently more at himself than Midna. "Well, excuuuse _me,_ Prin–" he began, voice bitter and sarcastic.

A powerful hand grabbed him by the neck, squeezing so tight the Dark Hero let go the Clawshot reflexively. The arm attached to the hand swung him around and slammed him against the rising stone. "Finish that sentence," Link said with dire calm, sword poised between his Dark counterpart's eyes, "and I'll cut you in half."

Shadow Link coughed weakly, but his eyes glowed with defiance. "Touchy, aren't we, Hero?" he rasped, clawing uselessly at the Hero's iron grip. "Just because I want to break that Twilight witch..." Link snarled wordlessly.

"Link," Midna began, but stopped when she saw Veran slithering through Shadow towards the pair. She sighed. "Please don't kill him if you can help it," she said, then summoned the ancient magic of her tribe. Veran halted, emerging into the world of the solid and 'real.' "So, Veran, are you really that arrogant or just suicidal?"

Veran screamed and flew at Midna, throwing arcs of bladed Shadow at the Twilight Princess. Midna smiled diabolically and parried them with her spear, and their battle began in earnest.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"It's over, Shadow," Link said as calmly as he could. "Yield."

"Or what?" Shadow Link laughed mockingly. "You'll kill me? Go ahead. Cut out my heart, and Midna's along with it."

Link ground his teeth in frustration. _One swing. That's all it would take._ He glared at his Dark reflection, the Light radiating from the Master Sword sending trails of smoky darkness away from the villain's forehead. Indeed, for a moment the Dark Hero almost looked like he would even welcome the solace of the void, returning to the Wheel in peace.

Then there was a burst of normal darkness, blinding the Hero. Shadow Link twisted in his grip while Link couldn't see, and the twin figures rolled away from one another. When the dark 'flare' vanished, Link realized his replica had used a Shadow Deku Nut. "Vile creature," Link swore. "You don't care about Midna's heart."

"She's lying, you idiot," Shadow Link said, his smile as mocking as his laugh. "If she were capable of caring about anyone besides herself, it'd be you – and she already rejected the pathetic little peasant." Link couldn't stop a flinch, but strangely, his Shadow's smile vanished at that. "That's right, Hero. You were just a big, burly brute she could ride back to her throne. Besides," he added, gesturing towards Vaati, "you have a more worthy princess who needs you."

Link circled warily to keep the Dark Hero in sight, cutting down a Stalfos who came too near. It didn't take long to see the Wind Mage lashing at Zelda with all his terrible might, Beamos eyes and seven thunders wracking the very fabric of reality around the Princess of Wisdom. _Farore!_ He licked his lips nervously. The Juror of Courage had never known such fear. _I can't choose one of them to die or – or..._ his eyes locked onto Shadow Link. The Dark Hero kept glancing at Midna with a hunger Link knew wouldn't be sated by anything rational. _I'm sorry, Midna. It's the only thing I can think of._ The Hero tightened his grip on the Master Sword and hardened his heart. The Blade of Evil's Bane showed no sign of rejecting him. Shadow Link's eyes flickered back to his bright counterpart, then widened in horror. _All or nothing, then._ Link shifted his footing, the Dark Hero raised his shield, and the Hero of Light burst forward, racing toward his foe.

Sword met shield with a vicious crash. Link slid around his Shadow, but the Dark Hero leaped back. Link tossed a bomb, then darted into the Primids. Shadow threw a Gale Boomerang of sorts, rustling winds that whispered cruel promises following it. The Boomerang knocked the bomb aside as expected. The Hero chose that moment to spin, destroying the strange boxy creatures with a single burst, then leaped, thrusting his sword down at Shadow Link. His Dark foe raised his shield in time, if just barely, and Link bounced away. "You won't kill me in time," the Shadow creature rasped desperately. "Zelda needs you!"

"And I'll help her," Link snarled, circling, "as soon as you're dealt with one way or the other. Yield!" He sought an opening that refused to come. A desperate inspiration convinced Link to sheath his sword.

Shadow Link bared his teeth again, defiant and furious. "Never! Din sear you for a stubborn fool, she'll be the ruin of you!" The dark figure hammered away a hopeful knight with a shield bash, while Link destroyed another Stalfos with a Mortal Draw. Shadow Link chose that moment to use another Shadow Nut – _a real Dark Nut,_ Link thought with gallow's humor – but he was ready for that this time. Navi flew to mark Shadow's every step, and Link followed her unerringly through the darkness to slash at him. "Agh!" the Dark Hero wailed, his pain giving the true Hero pause. The swirling cloak of Shadow faded, and Link held up his shield warily, his Shadow clutching a notable wound and circling.

#Link, we're okay! Zelda's kicking Vaati's...mana!# Navi quipped, and Link saw his princess through the fairy's eyes, driving the Wind Mage back with Light Force and Din's Fire.

_That's my Zel,_ he thought, relieved. A quick scan of the battlefield showed that the rest of their allies were doing nearly as well. Ike was driving back Onox and his Gohma steed, while Telma and Soren led the allies into the heart of Vaati's army. He tossed a predatory smile at his counterpart. "Not looking that way, Shadow Me."

Cold fingers ran up Link's spine. "Appearances," Veran whispered in his ear, her voice filled with honey-sweet hatred, "can be deceiving."

Midna soared over to the Heroes, who were now accompanied by the Shadow Sorceress, and swore furiously. "Link!" she shouted.

The Hero gripped the Master Sword, gritted his teeth, and stabbed his own physical shadow. Veran screamed and exploded back into reality, forced away by the Blade of Evil's Bane. "Not this time, sorceress," Link grunted. Midna circled desperately, Twilight Spear quivering overhead like a scorpion's sting ready to strike.

The Dark Hero took that opportunity to dive into Shadow, reappearing literally on top of Midna, He grappled with her, driving them both back to the ground. "No," Link breathed, then ran towards them.

He never reached them. Veran sprouted edged fairy wings and flew at him, firing blasts of power. Link blocked them with his shield, but even the Hero could see no way to chase his Shadow and fight the evil sorceress at the same time. _Fire, Love and Wind! Now what?_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda forced her sense of satisfaction back. _This battle isn't over, not remotely,_ she reminded herself. All the same, watching the dread Wind Mage play defense with such desperation was extremely gratifying. She spun Light around him like thread, a thousand pinpricks bleeding away his mana. Bursts of flame exploded around Vaati, searing and disorienting him. Nayru's Love deflected his blasts and beams. "You should really consider surrendering, Minish," she said coolly.

"There are no more Minish," Vaati said, his pain running so deep Zelda couldn't help but be moved. "They left, they went back across the dimensional gap long ago. All I have left are power..." he gazed at her with mad, desperate hunger. "...and you. The Hero doesn't want you." Zelda forced herself not to flinch. "I do. Please, Zelda...I will make you happy, I swear..."

"I wish I could believe that, Vaati," Zelda replied, "but your actions prove the truth of you. You do not love me. You _want_ me, like a child denied a toy too long." Light surged around her hands. "You can end this any time you want. Leave, and we will not pursue. Enough have suffered this day."

Vaati's desperate gaze transformed in an instant into a rictus of fury. "How merciful. WEAKLING!" he roared, and a storm of unimaginable power exploded around them. Twili, Primids, knights and Moblins flew helplessly into the air, screaming. Zelda gritted her teeth and forced herself to remain earthbound, drawing on all her power to keep the storm from claiming her. _He's...stronger than I thought..._ she thought, furious at having underestimated him, but inspiration struck with lightning swiftness. _For all that power, though, his winds can't stop a Light Arrow!_ She summoned the Light Bow from the power around her hands.

Veran laughed, tormenting the Hero with bursts of power. Zelda's eyes went wide with horror. Her Hero danced around the sorceress, looking for a way past her, trying to pierce her defenses...but he was also trying to avoid doing her real harm. _Nayru help us,_ Zelda thought, gasping. _Sear Ordon chivalry anyway._ Her eyes flickered from Vaati to Veran, and from there to Midna and the Dark Hero. The Twilight Princess was retreating again, but Shadow Link's stalking gait had taken on a distinctly uncertain manner. _Please, Goddesses, let Midna be right about him._ Link grunted and flew back, one of Veran's bursts penetrating his defense. The hateful Shadow Sorceress laughed.

Zelda's target was clear. She loosed her arrow, and Veran screamed when it struck home. Link gaped when the woman fell from the air, twisting and darkening where she landed. _And stay down, shadow-devil!_ the princess swore, satisfied by her triumph.

That was fortunate, for her triumph was short-lived. Immediately, the Princess of Wisdom threw all her diminished power into a defensive shield, knowing full well what was about to come. Vaati didn't disappoint her, casting whirlwinds, lightning and Beamos-fire at her with abandon. "Mine...you're mine...at last, mine..." he said, the desperation still in his voice. He was trying to convince himself it was true.

Link's gaze shot up and met hers. Zelda smiled. #The future depends on you, Link. You are courageous,# was all she sent. Even Zelda wasn't sure why, but somehow she knew it was right. Then she turned her attention to Vaati, and summoned her own courage and power. "I will never be yours, Vaati. You might be able to destroy me, and perhaps you can even steal my connection to the Light, but you will never have what is only mine to give!"

Vaati screamed, and the assault redoubled. "Then I shall possess all else of you! If a spoiled child I am, a broken toy you shall BE!" he raged, tears lost in the storm. Again, Zelda felt a brief pang of pity for the creature, but she refused to relent.

_What if the Hero goes to Midna instead?_ a small, uncertain voice asked inside her.

Zelda shuddered again, as much from the thought as Vaati's incredibly powerful attack. _Then she needs him more than I,_ she decided firmly. Then the air itself exploded around her, and all she could do was protect herself from the wrathful storm.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_Zelda!_ Link thought, gaping. Her Light Arrow had saved him from Veran, and the Shadow Sorceress still reeled from the blow. _Some Hero I am!_ He looked around desperately. Their forces were still winning, Ike having finished off the Gohma and steadily driving Onox back, but if Vaati, Veran or Shadow Link were free to act...

Then her eyes met his, and he was caught in her gaze, as frozen as if Veran had paralyzed him again. _Those...eyes..._ She gazed at him with unshakeable faith and perfect trust...and something more. #The future depends on you, Link. You are courageous,# Zelda sent. Then she turned and met Vaati's wrath with impenetrable defiance.

_...a fool. I've been a complete, utter fool._ Link's heart pounded like Death Mountain erupting with each beat. Dimly, he was aware of a spider taking form where Veran fell, a spider with the Shadow Sorceress' face. She spat webs at him, but he evaded with an instinctive leap. "Yield or die," was all he said to her.

"I'll swallow you whole, fool!" she screamed, leaping at him. Link braced himself, gathering his power, then spun the instant she was in range. It was a slash like none he'd ever unleashed before, and Veran screamed again, this time in wordless, despairing defeat. Her power dissipated, she returned to the Wheel at last, leaving nothing behind but a burst of shadow motes.

He glanced for a moment at Midna, who was retreating from Shadow Link again. Her eyes met his, and the Twilight Princess shook her head. _Very well. You've made your choice. I can protect you from it no more._ The feeling was perhaps unfair, but his decision, Link knew, was not. _Zelda risked all to save me. I will not fail her now._

Navi reentered his thoughts briefly. #Maybe I can help Midna,# she 'pathed reluctantly. Link nodded wordlessly, and Navi flew toward the pair. Then, with a roar of defiance, he charged toward his princess and her foe with a speed that astonished even the Hero.

Vaati didn't notice him racing to Zelda's aid at first. The wind and lightning blurred everything, and even Link could barely see his goal. When the Hero was ten paces away, however, the Wind Mage gasped and flew back. "No...no..." he wailed, flying backwards, his attacks turning from Zelda's shields to target Link.

"Yes," Zelda whispered. Link attacked with a roar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_Link,_ Midna thought, horrified. Veran was everywhere, and the Hero was holding back. _Stupid Ordon sexism!_ she railed, but that wasn't helping the Hero.

Neither was she, and that galled more than anything. All the same, she couldn't bring herself to turn her power on the Dark Hero. _How different are we, really?_ Midna wondered, backpedaling away from the approaching Shadow Link. _Think, Midna, think..._

"No more Hero, Midna," her adversary hissed. "No more Zelda. It's just you and me now."

Even as her heart raced, Midna couldn't help scoffing. "Right. Just you, me, and ten thousand of our closest personal friends trying to kill each other."

The Dark Hero shrugged. "Everyone who could do a thing about this is busy not dying." He smiled, but it was a lopsided thing, and his predatory stride was unsure, uneven. "Where's your 'ancient tribe's magic' now, Twilight Princess?"

Midna glared at him, drawing on every ounce of anger and frustration she could muster. "I could obliterate you, bloody stubborn Dark Hero!" she shot back.

Shadow Link only grinned more broadly and evenly at that. "Then try it, princess. Do it. I want to see you try, I really do." He stretched out his arms, leaving his chest open. Even three layers of garb and armor couldn't hide the magnificent form beneath it.

_If that's all it is, though..._ Midna looked into those fierce crimson eyes and knew it wasn't true. "I surrender," she breathed.

The Dark Hero froze, stunned. "What?" he whispered.

"You win. I'm yours. I yield, utterly and completely." She released the Twilight Spear. It vanished back into the darkness. "Just help Link and Zelda."

"You..." the Dark Hero shuddered. His face contorted through a thousand expressions, pain and grief and hate and jealousy and...did she see love in there? "...you're lying. It's what you do."

"No." She shook her head and lowered her arms. "Daltus will make a better monarch than I ever could." She gestured at her Twili advisor. "He's the one fighting for the Twili."

Shadow Link snorted. "Yeah, and how long would he last if you weren't here keeping me busy?" He shook his head at that, shield hand clutching his head. "No! You're just trying to confuse me!" The Dark Hero stumbled forward, sword swinging around but not up, pointing just in front of her feet. "You...on your knees, then!"

Just in that moment, a Light Arrow shot past behind Shadow Link, piercing Veran. The replica's eyes flickered back for a moment, but he turned his attention to Midna again quickly, and missed the Hero destroying the evil sorceress at last. Link's eyes flickered to meet Midna's.

_No._ Midna shook her head. _I've almost reached him. Zelda needs you. Trust me, Link._

Link nodded ever so slightly – Midna didn't think he even realized he'd done it – and turned to help Zelda. _At last._ The Twilight Princess straightened. "As you wish." She dropped to her knees, eyes staying locked on his. "You can be my headsman or my salvation. Your choice."

The dark blade quivered. Shadow Link glared for a moment, but his fierce gaze wavered. "I..."

That's when Navi showed up. _Din, Nayru and Farore,_ Midna snarled mentally. _The gods hate me._ Yet when she watched the fairy, her azure form flitting between the pair, the Twilight Princess felt something brush against her mind. Shadow Link's eyes locked onto the Hero's partner like a cobra surprised by a mongoose. _What?_

"You," the Dark Hero breathed. "You can...she's lying, she has to be."

Navi stared at her partner's duplicate. "What in Farore's name are you talking about?"

All at once, Midna _knew._ "Linking us. He's talking about linking us." She smiled beatifically. "Do it. Please."

The tiny fairy looked wildly from princess to clone. "If you say so," she muttered, and for a fraction of a second, they were one.

"ow," Navi whimpered, spiraling into the air. Dimly, Midna realized that the combined Twilight and Shadow energy had really thrown the little fairy for a loop.

For the moment, it didn't matter. Shadow Link had fallen to his knees, staring into her eyes. "You...gods, I...I was so _wrong_..." He dropped his sword in front of her. "Here. It's yours. Do what you want with it."

#You owe me big time, Twilight Princess,# Navi grumped at her telepathically.

#And then some,# Midna agreed, #but just for now, can you please go away?#

#Gladly,# Navi agreed, darting back towards her Hero and princess.

Midna picked up the blade and cradled it in her arms. She floated lightly over to Shadow Link, both of them still on their knees. Carefully, she replaced the sword in its sheath. Then she grabbed his head and kissed him ferociously.

Shadow Link's reflexes didn't disappoint; he immediately responded, enthusiastically and in kind.

After several long, very pleasant moments, she parted most reluctantly from his lips. "We...our friends need help."

"I'd hardly call them my friends just yet," the Dark Hero replied. "Still, eh, why not? I can't stand Vaati anyway."

They grinned at each other, leaped to their feet, and charged screaming into the battle.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda tried to grasp the Light Bow again, but even if she had possessed the strength, she was probably too astonished anyway.

She'd seen the Hero fight before. He had put paid to Ganondorf, after all. Even at that, though, watching him fight Vaati was nothing short of amazing. He leaped into the air and spun, tearing into the Wind Mage half a dozen times. Link summoned his bow the instant he landed and pierced three of Vaati's Beamos eyes before the villain had even recovered. Then he charged at the wavering Vaati, summoned Clawshots and Iron Boots, and dragged him back to earth. Both sets of gear vanished.

The former Minish yelped indignantly, but the Hero was just getting started. The Gale Boomerang spun even Vaati around, wind magic or no, and a bomb to the back of his head sent Zelda's erstwhile tormentor sprawling. Then Link vaulted into the air, descending with the Master Sword thrust downward. "SEIYAH!" he roared.

Vaati screamed, and power exploded from his prone form. Link was thrown back to Zelda's side, but she took his hand, and he gripped hers reassuringly. What Zelda felt beneath that grasp, though, was her true freedom. _Love_ poured from that touch, coming in waves she'd dreamed of since the moment she'd seen his eyes, wolf or no.

With the two having become one at last, the rise of Vaati's spherical, demonic form almost seemed anticlimactic. Link snorted and summoned the bow again, fire bursting from the arrowhead. Zelda laughed and called on her Light Bow again, and this time it responded. "Last chance, Vaati," Link said firmly. "Yield or die."

"This isn't over, Hero!" Vaati raged. "What you think as final victory is only prelude to a war so vast, your tiny mind cannot even fathom its scope!" With that, the dark form's wings grew to titanic lengths, folded around him, and carried him away through the gap between dimensions.

Zelda gazed into Link's eyes and exulted in the passion she saw in them. He stared back into hers, transfixed. Then he looked away and around, desperately casting his eyes across the battlefield. "Midna. Ike. They–" he began.

Onox's helm whistled through the air and landed at the Hero's feet. Ike laughed and waved. "Just earning my paycheck, Hero!" he called out, leaning on Ragnell casually. The Gohma's remains twitched not far from the warrior.

_No surprise there. Now, to rescue...Midna?_ She blinked and stared at Midna and the Dark Hero, who fought side by side, tearing through the last Moblins with gleeful abandon. The other monsters were already vanishing, the magic that called them forth collapsing with Vaati's retreat.

"Hey!" Navi called out, and Link laughed. "Looks like my instincts were right. Midna and Shadow You are okay now. Just...don't expect me to do that again, okay?" She landed on Link's head, and Zelda couldn't help a chuckle herself. "Woo."

"Nicely done, Navi," Zelda said, stepping to the Hero's side and snaking an arm around his waist. He stiffened for a second, then relaxed, slung his shield over his back, and put his arm around her. _A good feeling,_ Zelda decided immediately, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

"Yeah, but what did you do?" Link asked.

Navi snorted. "I...linked them." The Hero choked back a laugh. "Once ol' dark and creepy realized she wasn't as bad as he thought, it was all over but the making out." The Hero choked on something else at that, Zelda unable to suppress a small laugh. "Thing is, she's Twilight and he's Shadow. That was Not Happy Time for a good little fairy filled with Light, you know?" She snuggled into Link's hair. "I need a shower. Take one when we get home, okay, Link?"

"Home. That sounds good," Link agreed, relaxing into her embrace. Zelda didn't need the Triforce of Wisdom to go along with that notion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Now what?" Link asked. He was leaning on the balcony next to Midna, feeling more than a little overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

"Well, for one thing, it looks like I'm still stuck being the Twilight Princess," Midna replied. "I tried to abdicate, but you should have seen how the Twili took that." Her smile was a mix of misty affection and confidence restored. "They were ready to follow me wherever I tried to 'exile' myself."

Link nodded. "What about you and Shadow...Me?"

Midna's grin broadened. "Well, he let me off the hook on my surrender...mostly." Link raised an eyebrow at that. "I really don't think you want to know the details, farm boy." The Hero blushed. Navi laughed uproariously. "He's going to be my consort and bodyguard. I didn't think I needed one, but..." her smile faded slightly. "Well, if nothing else, I doubt I'll need to bug you for rescues any more. And his name's Dalkin now."

"Hm," Link grunted. "It works, I guess. Better than living in someone else's shadow, if he's really his own man." Midna chuckled suggestively at that. _Midna's right. I definitely don't want to know._ He cleared his throat. "I take it you're all right, then."

Midna raised an eyebrow. "Gods, you really believed me when I said you were just a peasant, didn't you?" Link's eyes widened. "How stupid do I look? You're the _Hero,_ you goat-headed Hylian." She hugged him impulsively. "Zelda had better appreciate you."

Link hugged her back gently. "I really don't think that's going to be a problem."

She released him, then gazed into the 'black clouds of Twilight.' _She really does find them beautiful,_ he mused, watching her stare at them. "For the record, yes, I'm all right. Better than all right, really." Midna glanced back at the Hero, her smile softening. "What about you? Should I keep my calendar clear for an important event?"

"What are you..." Link began, then spluttered. Navi laughed again, but Midna merely arched one imperious eyebrow. It felt like his tongue had tripped over the words. "...um, that's probably going to be a while," he said finally. "After...everything that's happened...I don't think either of us wants to rush into anything." He looked into the clouds himself. _They do have their own beauty at that._ Link smiled. "Besides, we have the time, finally."

Midna considered that for a long moment, then nodded. "You do things your way, Link. If anyone's earned the right to, you have." She looked into his eyes with a serious intensity the Hero hadn't seen in a long time. "Just remember, you don't always have as much time as you might think." She patted him on the shoulder and strode inside.

_Huh._ Link nodded to himself and followed Midna's lead. The Palace of Twilight was crowded, even with most of the Hylians having returned to the Light Realm, and conversations were underway everywhere the Hero turned. Telma was chatting up a few Twili, introducing them to one of her drinks. Daltus, Ashei and Ike were comparing sword strokes. Zelda and Soren were discussing fire magic in a far corner. He smiled at the sight of his princess – _my princess,_ he repeated to himself, wonder filling him – then let his gaze fall on his shadowy replica. Shadow Link, who Midna called 'Dalkin' then. _A curious anagram,_ he thought, _but I suppose it suits him._ Kin of darkness, and his own after a fashion. Link strode over to Dalkin, who looked up from a shrimp on a toothpick he was holding uncertainly. "You eat it, you know," Link quipped.

"You sure about that, Light boy?" Dalkin fired back dryly. "I've never had to eat. I can, of course, but the Shadow sustains me." He stuck his tongue out at the crustacean. "I might eat this thing just to spite it."

"I think it's already dead," Link said, looking over the well-cooked delicacy.

Dalkin shrugged. "It still annoys me. Maybe I'll spite Vaati, then." He glanced over at Midna, then threw the shrimp into his mouth and chewed it relentlessly. "She," he began, then decided to finish chewing before he continued. "Midna's already making 'Prince Consort' noises. Woman works fast." He grinned wickedly at the Hero. "Of course, that's not a problem for this end of the spectrum," he said, pointing at himself with the toothpick.

"Hm," Link replied, looking Dalkin over carefully.

Dalkin stared back defiantly. "None of your business, Hero," he shot back.

"Not as long as you're here to be with Midna, instead of chasing her," Link said quietly.

Dalkin looked away. "I...Din sear you," he swore in a whisper. "I love her. You should know _exactly_ how that feels."

"Mm." Link nodded. "Okay then."

At that, Dalkin's eyes flashed back over to him. "You talk too much, you know that?"

Navi burst into peals of laughter at that. "C'mon, Link, don't be a blabbermouth!" she managed to say when she caught her breath, then resumed laughing uproariously.

"Take care, Dalkin," Link said, waving as he walked off. For some reason, he wasn't bothered by Navi's sudden case of the giggles. _A very old joke,_ he knew, heading over for the gate. He saw Zelda standing there, alone. "Hey," he said, reaching for her hand.

"Hey," she replied, reaching back. They touched, lightning shot up his arm, and Link's breath caught in his throat. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Um, where's Soren?" he asked, his voice sounding thick to his ears.

Zelda grinned. "He dragged Ike off to ensure he relaxed. They're cute." She took a step closer to the Hero. "You're cute."

Link's ears grew warm. "You're beautiful." He swallowed. "Zel, are you sure you're all right...with..."

"Slow is fine," she replied, smiling up at him, "for as long as you need it." She stepped even closer, her dress brushing against his boots. "You've been through many things even the Hero of Time never had to deal with, and I mean to respect your needs." She placed her free hand on his chest, and his heart was off to the races again. "Not that I'll be put out if you decide to pick up the pace, mind you...but it'll be nice to take things easy for a while."

"Easy." Link let the word roll around in his mouth for a moment. Finally, he smiled, caressing Zelda's arm. "Yes. I like the sound of that."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Epilogue, Part I

"Please," Vaati begged, cursing his hated Minish form, cursing the treacherous Shadow Link, cursing those weaklings Veran and Onox, cursing that luckiest of Heroes, but most of all, cursing the princess that had rejected him. "Just give me one more chance, Your Holiness. I'll bring the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny before you in chains."

Serpentine hisses echoed in the darkness he knelt before. Vaati shuddered with a feeling he'd rarely known – terror. "You failed me, Vaati," a voice that might have been a woman's rasped from the endless cavern. "I gave you an army, vengeful spirits, the power to resurrect the Hero's Shadow even with the Dark Mirror shattered beyond repair. He _humiliated_ you, Wind Mage."

"I can beat him," Vaati whispered. "Please."

"You will not be cast into my Realm beneath all Realms," the voice whispered, and Vaati's knees gave way. His body stretched and expanded even as he bowed before the opening into the depths of all worlds, his Hylian form restored. "However, you will answer to my new commander."

Vaati's head snapped up. "What commander? Who could you find that would be mightier than I, against the Hero himself?"

A deep, menacing laughter echoed within the cavern, and heavy footsteps marched toward Vaati. "Who else?" the sibilant voice asked with dry, biting humor.

A massive figure strode forward, silhouetted by a crimson light he shed. A fire-red mane of hair framed his carved, menacing features. He strode into the light and raised a fist, and flames burst to life around it. "So. Vaati, is it?" the mighty warrior demanded, and the Wind Mage bowed his head. He bowed it furiously, reluctantly, but he was not nearly fool enough to do otherwise. "Good. Know that you will not have Zelda," the incarnation of power said simply, and Vaati's hands clenched into fists, "but you will at least have your revenge. And the fires below shall claim their due."

And Ganondorf laughed...

### End of Part One


	8. Part II, Prologue I: Hero of Time & Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

## Part Two: The Last Emissary

### Prologue I: Hero of Time

"Is there no end to them?" Fox snarled.

"Less talk, more fight," Samus replied coolly, matching deeds to words with a full spread of cannon fire.

Link grimaced. Their foes were strange, gem-like doppelgangers of the heroes themselves, including replicas of their fallen comrades. A duplicate of the titanic simian Donkey Kong swung at the Hero of Time, but the Hylian blocked the blow with his shield and reduced the creature to scattering motes of violet light with a thrust from the Master Sword.

"Keep'a fighting! We're almost through!" their leader cried triumphantly.

The Hero spared a moment for the diminutive warrior in red and blue. Mario called himself a plumber, but in all his battles Link had never seen a hero like him. _It's like he really is what everyone in Hyrule thinks I am,_ the Hero mused as he rolled past a knot of 'polygon fighters,' as Fox had dubbed them. Link smiled grimly when the bomb he'd left behind sent their foes flying.

The armored bounty hunter shifted in place slightly, noticing what Link had done, then leaped forward and shrank into her sphere, leaving a small trail of her own bombs behind her. She emerged and turned, glancing at the Hero and nodding as much as her helm allowed.

Link nodded back and dashed forward, throwing another bomb into the ones she'd left behind. The explosion was...satisfying. He gave Samus a thumbs-up and grinned.

"Separated at birth, I'm telling you, Mario," Fox chuckled, his blaster going at full tilt. "When those two do their 'strong, silent' thing, it's like telepathy."

"Can't argue with that! Wa-hoo!" Mario exulted, finishing off their last few foes with his own unarmed spin attack. They collectively examined the battlefield, now clear of foes. The plain stonework path, with its floating platforms of similar design, revealed nothing new with the defeat of their enemies.

"I am so tired of evil clones," Samus said with a grunt.

"Agreed," Link replied emphatically, leaning on his knees and swallowing big gulps of air.

The fox-warrior loped carefully forward, his strange weapon at the ready. "Almost there," he said grimly.

"Still think this is about you, McCloud?" Samus asked. Her tone was gruff, but Link was sure he heard some sympathy in her voice.

Fox frowned anyway. "It isn't about me just because it's Andross, Aran. What really worries me is that his ambitions have gone beyond Lylat."

The bounty hunter looked down the long stone path ahead of them. It floated strangely in the interdimensional starscape, but none of the others seemed unnerved by this. _Well, I guess it doesn't bother me, either._ Something nagged at Link all the same... _Oh, Farore. Link Ordon Hyrule, you_ can _stuff your curiosity in fairy space for five minutes!_ His resolve held, but it didn't stop the Hero from wanting to explore this wondrous new world.

"Are you sure it's him?" Samus asked simply.

Fox growled at that. "Let's see. The one of us he clones in truth is the simian. Then there's the polygonal replica-army, the giant hand, the strange technology, the sheer arrogance...you tell me, Hunter."

"Actually, Ganondorf was just as arrogant," Link mentioned idly. At the vulpine pilot's glare, he added quickly, "I'm not arguing the point. The rest is certainly telling. It's just that we're all familiar with hubris and tyranny here."

Fox nodded reluctantly. Mario stepped forward, looking at the three remaining fighters. "We've done well so far," the plumber said, "but it's'a time to face the real enemy." He gestured down the path, then looked pointedly at the Hero and the Hunter. "When we get there, everyone should use their full arsenals."

The pilot's mood transformed instantly, a predatory grin spreading across his vulpine face. "It's about time."

Samus adjusted her visor briefly, then gestured ahead with her arm cannon. "I've found our objective. The hand is waiting for us."

Fox's gaze darted to the bounty hunter. "Just one?" Samus nodded. "I don't like the sound of that. Too easy."

"We can handle it," Mario said confidently. "Let's'a go." He marched down the pathway, Fox following warily. Within moments, they were on a wide circular field that faded from blue to gray. No hand floated there waiting. Indeed, they could see nothing at all aside from field and sky. The four heroes looked around. "Samus?" Mario asked, worried.

"What's he waiting for," Fox growled in frustration.

In an instant, cracks shot between the four heroes, and the strange island flew apart. Link gasped, but by the time he turned, they had all been pulled in different directions. _Maybe I should have indulged my curiosity a little,_ the Hero thought with a grimace. Each section of platform grew into a perfect replica of the original.

"That's enough!" Mario called out from his platform. "Where's'a Yoshi? _Where's'a my brother?"_

A deep voice chuckled around them. "I believe the phrase on your world is, 'talk to the hand.' AH-ha-ha-ha!"

The Hero sighed. _Not another madman._ He waited for a moment, sword ready, and their enemy did not disappoint him – a huge hand floated up and flexed before Link, clearly preparing to attack. _At last._

The strange weapon was armed with a jet of flame at its base and what seemed like Beamos eyes on each fingertip, but it was nothing the Hero had not faced before. It was a difficult chore to tear the puppet hand apart with his Master Sword, but nothing more. When he was done, he took a few deep breaths, then looked around.

Curiously, Samus and Fox were still finishing off their hands, but Mario appeared to have dealt with his before even the heavily-armed Hero of Time. Their platforms slowly floated back together, though they connected rather than re-merging. "How are you holding up, Sir Link?" Mario asked, looking around with clear concern.

Link shrugged. "I wish I had a fairy or a potion, but otherwise I'm fine." _I_ really _wish Navi was here, but considering what Mario's going through, I'm certainly not going into that right now._ "How about you, sir?"

"Me? I'm'a right as rain." The smile beneath his broad mustache faded. "I'm just...worried about my brother. He's a genius...and some days, I think he's'a got all the courage in the world in him." Mario's smile strengthened a little as he looked up at the Hero. "You remind me of him sometimes."

Link swallowed. "Thank you, sir." He put a hand on the plumber's shoulder. "We'll get them back, Mario. All of them." Mario nodded...

_...and The Hero of Light awoke with a start._

Prologue II: Hero of Light

Link of Ordon, Hero of Light, Champion of Hyrule and savior of two Realms, sat bolt upright and shook his head in disbelief. _That was..._

The dream had been as vivid as a memory, but as absurd as the most surreal painting. The half-sized warrior in overalls and the animal man with the strange Light wand had only been the tip of the iceberg. He remembered _remembering_ creatures of absurd provenance. A yellow hare with power over lightning. Twin pink orbs, each with different magical powers. Mario's Yoshi, a lizard steed with a bulbous nose and dressed only in boots.

"The original 'Smash Brothers,'" Navi noted. Link's head whirled, eyes locking on to the night table before he recognized the voice. The fairy grinned, though it still threw Link how he could know that when he couldn't even see her head. "The name was Luigi's idea," she added, as if that explained everything.

"A great ape...with a tie? A loud tie?" was all the Hero could think to ask.

Navi laughed. "What, can you see him wearing a _quiet_ one?"

Link licked his lips, trying to come up with an answer. He quickly gave it up as hopeless and got out of bed. "Fire, Love and Wind," he breathed. "Come on, Navi, I have to be at my best today."

"It's not a duel," the fairy sighed fondly, "it's a date." She soared over to his closet and perched there while Link looked around his new room. _Well, okay, it's been a week,_ he thought, _but it still feels new._ Zelda hadn't been entirely happy about him moving out of the castle, but given the new...texture...of their relationship, living under the same roof with her felt wrong at this point.

The princess, of course, had insisted on finding him a house as roomy as the one he'd had in Ordon. That had seemed excessive to Link, given the crowded nature of Castle Town. It hadn't proved at all difficult after the invasion, which didn't please the Hero at all, albeit for very different reasons than his initial reluctance. _All's well that end's well,_ he insisted to himself, and stripped for the shower. He padded into the bathroom and gestured. The Light Charm fixture activated, pumping out a spray of water at the temperature Link had set when he first moved in. One long, languorous shower later, Link emerged feeling cleaner and more confident.

Navi shot straight onto the towel wrapped around his head. "Mmm. Lavender."

"Addict," he quipped fondly. He started dressing with his new tights, leggings of the same silver-white once worn by the Hero of Time.

Navi stirred from her nest in the towel. "Tell me you're not wearing your tunic for a date."

"You _are_ joking," Link replied, incredulous, then pulled out the garb he'd purchased for the day. Navi whistled. The Hero grinned. "This is what happens when you play hooky with Aryll. You miss staff meetings." He carefully laid out the clothes on the bed. A white shirt, emerald green sleeveless doublet with gold trim, and a short cape in a darker forest green with a golden triforce pin lay before him. Once he was confident he was dry enough, Link methodically donned each layer. Once he had pinned the cape in place, he checked himself in the mirror. The towel was rather incongruous, but the Hero was loath to disturb Navi just yet. The rest, quite simply, worked. The capelet hung at just the right rakish angle, draped slightly over his right arm while leaving his left free (though Link fervently hoped that would only be for show).

"That doublet's a little...daring...for you, isn't it?" Navi teased. Indeed, it stretched just a few inches below the belt, just enough for modesty if he didn't lean over.

Link blushed bright crimson. "She said she likes my legs," he all but whispered. Navi whistled rather than laughing as he'd expected, then flew from the towel. The Hero removed it, brushed his hair with studious determination, then placed the golden circlet Zel had given him on his brow. He adjusted it with care, then nodded. "I think I'm ready," he said, his voice not as strong as he would have liked.

Navi shook her head. "Unlikely," she drawled, "unless Zelda likes your legs so much she expects you to go out without your boots."

The Hero's blush redoubled, and he yanked the dress boots from his closet and pulled them on. When he'd commissioned them, Link had expected them to be uncomfortable and ill-fitting, but Aryll's reassurances proved accurate. Though they had no caps at the tops and looked almost as tight as the leggings, they felt as natural as those he'd appeared in after his first emergence from Twilight. "Now."

"Go get 'em, tiger," Navi replied with a broad grin.

Link nodded and strode from his new home, more nervous than he'd been when he faced Zant.

### Chapter One:

Zelda felt lighter than the air itself. _If he keeps this up, I am going to take flight,_ she thought, forcing herself not to laugh with the giddy delight of it all. As was true with so many of his other skills, the Hero danced like a god. He moved with a fluidity that seemed to belie the notion that bones lay beneath the skin. The music flowed around them and through them, feeling almost to sing in her heart itself.

The song ended, and she _did_ laugh then, decorum no longer necessary. She draped her arms around her exquisite partner, who bit his lip and looked away demurely. "Am I so difficult to look at, Hero of Light?" she teased gently.

His eyes locked onto hers, and the Princess of Wisdom was paralyzed in an instant. "It is easier," he whispered, "to move boulders than pull my gaze from yours."

 _No kidding._ Zelda felt warm suddenly. "Let's – let's sit down for a minute, shall we?" she said, nudging him gently towards their table. _Before my knees give way,_ she added mentally. He nodded, and she traded his neck for an arm, allowing him to lead them to their chairs. Link pulled hers out, naturally, and sat himself once she was comfortable. The remains of their dinner had been carted away – even eating politely, the Hero ate with the fierce alacrity of a man familiar with lean times – and dessert menus had replaced them.

Link picked his up with a casualness that was obviously forced to the princess' expert eye. "This is a great place, Y – ah, Princess Zelda," he said, ducking his head slightly. "What did you call it? A restaurant?"

One of the nobles at a nearby table snickered. Zelda silenced her with a glare, then returned her attention to the Hero before he noticed. She suppressed a grin at the nervous clatter of silverware from the offending table. "Yes, though obviously their service extends to more than just food." She gestured to the dance floor, then smiled happily at her date. "It's really just a fancy word for 'inn without sleeping quarters,' but it makes the nobles who wouldn't be caught dead in a tavern happy."

Link shrugged, then grinned suddenly. "At least I'm not getting too many of them looking at me like they're afraid I'm going to chew up their boots." Zelda choked on her next comment, caught between gasping and laughter. He winked at her. _Not all_ that _shy, are you, my Hero?_ she thought, smiling wryly.

Inspiration struck her then, pulling her upright with a suddenness that had the Hero leaping to his feet an instant later. "I'm fine," she insisted before he could blurt out concern for her. She dropped enough rupees to make the waitress faint at the tip, then grabbed his hand. "Come on. Change of plans."

"Wh – but Princess – dessert – dancing?" he asked, gesturing behind them. A dozen tables' worth of people watched them leave the restaurant, and another half-dozen dining outside stared as they strode onto the cobblestone road.

"I know, it was my idea," the princess said, utterly unconcerned, "but I think something more traditional might be in order."

"What," Link asked, a touch incredulous, "we've had dinner, so it's time for a play now?"

Zelda stopped, turned, and smiled at him. "Mm-hmm." She led him across the city, a strange, distant feeling of deja vu echoing in her at the thought of towing him along like this. They stopped at a playhouse in one of the more 'common' parts of town. Link gaped. "It's a comedy," she explained.

"Super...Mario?" he whispered, looking unsure.

The princess stopped and looked at him carefully, a touch of worry flickering through her. "I had a dream," she explained. "I was having tea with Princess Peach. It inspired me." She peered at him more closely. "Link, are you all right?"

"I had a dream last night too," he said quietly, staring at the poster of the diminutive red and blue legend of comedy-adventure giving the Koopa King a stunning uppercut. "I was on a quest with him," Link continued, pointing at the Overall Knight, "a keaton-man with magics of Light and Fire, and a woman in enchanted armor of fantastic power. We were just about to face the true villain of the piece when I woke up."

Zelda's eyes flickered from the Hero to the sign and back. "The Mushroom Kingdom plays," she explained slowly, "come from hints we've found in the surviving journals of the Hero of Time." Link's eyes went wide. "It's widely believed by scholars that the figures of the Mushroom Tales are exaggerated, caricatures of the people your predecessor knew." She looked at the poster again. "Your reaction makes me wonder, though." The princess bit her lip. "If you're uncomfortable–"

Her heart skipped a beat when Link took her hand. "I'd be honored," he replied with a gentle smile. Without another word, he led them in to the theater.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hero was still chuckling as the crowd emerged into the night air. "An umbrella?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Magic is a strange and wondrous thing," Zelda replied, but she, too, laughed a bit after she said it. "And rarely is it more of both than...-snicker-...than in the land of fire flowers and warping pipes."

"She knocked out a turtle-dragon...with an umbrella...with her hands tied behind her back." Link's grin threatened to hit his ears. "Sure, that Mario character had already stomped on his head a dozen times..." He shook his head again. _And I feel sorry for whoever was playing the front half of Bowser._ "And what was that _thing_ Luigi was wearing?"

"The Bolt Suit?" Zelda put her arm around his waist, and his urge to chuckle vanished. "That's definitely _not_ canon. This was a 'reimagining' of the early Super Mario adventures, to put it lightly."

Somehow, the Hero fought off the impulse to blush again. He placed his arm carefully around her shoulders. "Sounds like you know your Mushroom Tales."

The princess ducked her head in a self-conscious, embarrassed manner, and it was so endearing Link wanted to hold her forever. "I...always wanted to be like Peach, as a child," she muttered with obvious reluctance. "Perfect grace and poise in every royal duty, fitting into those royal pink gowns like she was born to it, even accepting her captivity with calm resolve..." she brushed her own dress with what Link would have described as an awkward air in anyone else. "...but then, when battle calls, striking with a skill that didn't mar her feminine elegance in the least."

"She," Link said emphatically, hugging her more tightly, "cannot compare to you."

Zelda froze, slipped from his arm, and turned to look into his eyes. The Hero felt like she could see his bones, his heart, his soul. It was almost terrifying, but strangely exhilarating as well.

Then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with ferocious passion. The world seemed to explode. Link could barely stay upright, and only instinct allowed him to respond in kind.

It was the whistling that brought Zelda up short. The remains of the audience then cheered with raucous, heartfelt joy for the pair. She blushed to make his previous reactions look pale by comparison. "I – I had a wonderful time, Link," she said quietly, squeezing his hand. "Thank you. Good night." She strode off briskly, too dignified to run, but clearly retreating in what Link imagined was good order.

Link simply fell on his butt on the cobblestones. The roar of laughter didn't even faze him.

Aryll's appearance from Shadow, however, did. "Not your best performance, Hero," she drawled.

The Hero shot back to his feet. "ARYLL!" he objected. Aryll, and Navi with her, joined the laughter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I have you now," Dalkin said, his voice echoing with dire intent.

Midna laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing," she quipped saucily, winking. The Dark Hero stopped cold, crossing his arms. Midna pouted. "Aw, don't do that, you're hiding your pecs." She grinned more confidently than ever.

Dalkin's scowl melted. "How am I supposed to menace you when you're being...cute?" he grumbled.

Walking over with a slinky gait, Midna slid next to him and guided his arms from around his magnificently bare chest to around her waist. "You'll manage." She let her eyes play up and down his body; all he wore was a pair of black tights, and 'tight' was definitely the word. "You'd better, because I'm a handful."

"And then some," Dalkin replied dryly. Midna was wearing the same garb she'd appeared in when Link had defeated Ganondorf, save for the cloak, which was draped over one chair. She left little more to the imagination than he did. _Just enough, though,_ she thought, admiring him again. "Maybe I should take you over my knee and spank you, you saucy wench."

"Bloody right I'm saucy," she shot back, grin broadening, "and if you can get me over your knee, you can do whatever you–" she gasped as her chambers blurred around her. When the world stopped spinning, he had both of her arms pinned behind her in one of his hands, she was bent over his knee, and his free arm was poised behind her. "...want," she finished pointedly.

An explosion rocked the entire Palace of Twilight. Midna's eyes flew wide with horror. "Din, no," she gasped. Dalkin had her upright as quickly as he'd had her where she wanted him. With a gesture, he made his tunic, boots, cap and armament appear around him. Midna gestured savagely, and her cloak returned to her. Together, they strode out, the ancient magic gathering around her.

Twili were running around in organized chaos. "Man the ballistae!" Daltus roared. "Archers and sorcerers to your places!" He turned and saluted Midna the moment she came into view. "Your Highness."

"Status," she demanded, and the trio walked toward the balcony in strides that devoured space beneath them.

"Unknown, Your Highness," Daltus admitted reluctantly. "We're under attack by some incredible power. That's all we...know," he said, grimacing when the doorway opened automatically in front of them.

There, in an all-too-familiar pose, was Vaati Reborn, the elongated, Twili-like figure raining lightning and fire down on the Palace. "I hate leftovers," Midna drawled. Dalkin merely snarled and drew his Shadow Sword. "Hey, Valley!" she shouted. "Haven't we done this already? The Dark Hero defends me now, and your allies are so many motes of Shadow. Isn't this a little thickheaded, even for you?"

"That depends," a voice rumbled through the air, deep and resonant, and Midna's blood froze, "on whether he has an ally...or _is_ the ally." Dalkin shoved past the Twilight Princess, standing protectively before her. Even the slight quiver in his legs didn't shake her confidence in him, but... _He's skilled and courageous, but Dalkin doesn't have the Power to Repel Evil._ It took all of her own courage to do so, but she took to the air all the same, Twilight magic surging around her. "As predictable as the original. How pathetic," Ganondorf's voice boomed around them. "Even the Twilight Princess knows the truth. 'A fake is a fake, and no matter how much you dress it up, the real thing always wins.' HA ha ha ha ha ha!"

Dalkin twirled his sword in clear challenge to the Evil King. "You know, when you're ready to stop talking trash from hiding, I'm right here." He reached for Midna with his shield arm, probing behind him with alarm when he didn't find anything. Dalkin looked around, then up, and finally scowled at the floating Twilight Princess. _Sorry, love,_ Midna thought, only a sliver of guilt stabbing at her, _but you're no match for Ganondorf._

Her last fight with the King of Evil flickered through her memory, and she gathered her courage. _I only hope_ I _am, here._ Vaati's power made the air itself shudder from the storm he brewed around him. "Speaking of fakes, when did you start dragging around a sidekick?" she asked, pointing at Vaati with the Twilight Spear. "I didn't think you were adopting losers who want to be you when they grow up, but considering how much of a loser _you_ are–"

Dalkin screamed. Midna's heart froze for an instant, and when she looked down, her worst fears were realized. A massive hand had emerged from the Shadow itself to clamp around his head, and when the Dark Hero stabbed at the figure emerging from his own shadow, the other hand grabbed the sword by the blade, yanked it from Dalkin's grip, and threw it into the very darkness from which the villain came. Midna shot straight down, her own howl one of rage.

Vaati threw a wall of almost solid wind at her, pinning the Twilight Princess against her own palace. He laughed sadistically. "You know," he snarled, "for a loser, I seem to be winning pretty handily here."

"Sure..." Midna grunted, trying to push herself towards the sorcerer. "...you are...all...you needed...was a better...sorcerer's...might."

Ganondorf appeared in a burst of power, hovering above Vaati and Midna alike. Dalkin dangled upside-down below him, hanging from a chain of pure Shadow held in one of the villain's fists. It wrapped around the Dark Hero's entire body from ankles to mouth. For some reason, Dalkin's boots were missing, giving an even more vulnerable character to his thrashing. "Still so impish," the King of Evil rumbled in a mockery of a chuckle. "Yes...that truly suits you, little princess."

Midna's eyes flared wide. Dalkin's fury had transformed into pleading; he was trying to say something to Ganondorf, intercede on her behalf. "I don't know what you think I am, you absurd pig," she spat, "but I'm no one's 'little princess!' HYAH!" she roared, and her Twilight magic shattered Vaati's spell. The vicious Wind Mage flew backwards, sprawling through the air to Midna's bone-deep satisfaction. The Spear flew at Ganondorf. "Give me back my Hero!"

Ganondorf gestured. The Spear shattered. He raised one finger and waggled it at her admonishingly. "You haven't paid for him," he quipped dryly.

"Yss shh hss," Dalkin grunted, struggling more wildly than ever.

At that, the King of Evil laughed with his darkest amusement yet. "Ah, but as your creator, I am entitled to that payment." He turned his gaze on Midna, who was already gathering the Spear's power. _I have to hold it together,_ she thought with terrible determination, a bit unsure whether she meant the weapon or herself. Packing the mana as tightly as it would hold, she flew at him, gripping the Spear in her hands.

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at her charge. He nodded with a strange air of respect to the Twilight Princess, then thrust out his free palm. A wave of power she'd only felt once before hammered her, tore through her, overwhelmed her with sheer, agonizing might. "You know what I desire, mistress of Twilight," he said with that same odd aura of respect. "A Hero and Princess for Hero and Princess. A fair trade." There was no laughter this time, no echo of mocking dismissal. He simply faded away, taking her beloved Dalkin with him.

The sadistic mockery, then, fell to the Wind Mage, who cackled viciously. "Little princess, indeed! Come, Midna, fly to your Hero's rescue! Though it's anyone's guess if he'll want you thus!" He faded away as well, still laughing.

Midna crawled out from her cloak, not wanting to enter the light again, not wanting to see...but Dalkin needed her. She tossed away the edge, then looked with bleak misery at her hands, then her legs. Tiny, deformed, disproportionate, and all too familiar. _No. I will not cry. I will not yield. And I will certainly not drag Link and Zelda into this again..._ the thought of Dalkin at that monster's mercy formed a Yeti's icy fist around her soul. _...unless it's the only way to save Dalkin._ She concentrated, and a helmet Ganondorf certainly thought destroyed took form over her head. One tine was still bent at a bit of an angle, but the Fused Shadow was at least intact.

"Your Highness!" Gustav shouted.

"Princess!" Daltus called out.

 _Oh, Din, Nayru and Farore,_ Midna swore emphatically. The thought of letting them see her was as horrible as ever...but she could neither abandon her people nor lose access to the resources of the Twilight Princess, if she hoped to save the Dark Hero. Reluctantly, she flew back to her advisors. They gasped. "Relax," she said, to herself as much as the two men. "Ganondorf's ridiculous idea of a joke may have warped my body, but my mind and my magic are as strong as ever. If I could endure this when...Zant did this to me," she admitted grudgingly, "then I'll manage now."

"Then...what do you intend to do, Your Highness?" Daltus asked.

Midna let the one fang peek out, and she grinned menacingly. "Thank Ganondorf and Vaati for their consideration," she hissed, "and rescue my companion. You can manage things in my absence, I hope." Daltus nodded. Midna saluted him jauntily, showing far more confidence than she felt, then spun like a top until she vanished into Shadow. _Now. Where have you taken my Dark Hero, you glorified pork chop?_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_The Hero of Time danced across the ballroom with his Princess of Destiny. It felt more like flying._

" _And he said he can't dance," Zelda said, laughing musically._

I could listen to that sound forever, _Link thought, happier than he imagined possible. The court applauded the musicians, and the royal couple retreated from the dance floor for some punch. "I had Impa drill me," he explained, almost trying to pour his own before relenting in the face of a scandalized servant._

 _His princess –_ and wife, _he pointedly noted to himself – sighed and shook her head, though her smile only broadened. "First rule of magic tricks, Link, is to never explain them." She stroked his arm with one finger. #Honestly, Hero, you'd train for a bake-off.#_

_#Why wouldn't I?# he asked earnestly._

_Navi sighed. #Give up, Zel, he's hopeless.#_

_The pair gazed into each other's eyes. Link thought, not for the first time, that he could happily lose himself in them._

_Impa appeared quietly from Shadow. Zelda smiled gently while Link suddenly found his glass endlessly fascinating. "Yes, Impa?" the princess asked._

" _One of your friends from across the dimensional gap has arrived through a...green pipe...which emerged in the courtyard," she said, clearly displeased by both the security breach and the sheer absurdity of the notion. "A short man in green overalls."_

_The Hero blinked and gave Impa his full attention. "Luigi? Why is he here?"_

_The High Sheikah shrugged. "Something about a 'mistake in the warp tunnel' and the 'wrong Hyrule.' He's found something that he believes wants for your attention."_

_Zelda stiffened and clutched his hand. Link gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Of course. With my lady's permission," he emphasized, bowing slightly to his beloved wife, "I will attend him shortly." Strangely, Zelda said nothing, but nodded with a stiff reluctance. #It's okay, Zel,# he sent privately to her.#_

_#I fear it is not,# she replied, a quiver in her 'voice' he hadn't heard in almost a year. #I sense something dark moving behind this...#_

The Hero of Light awoke, sitting bolt upright and sweating profusely.

There was a whuff of smoke and air, and Aryll appeared in the far corner of the room. "Link!" she gasped, blades in her hand. The first rays of pre-dawn light had just begun to illuminate the room, giving the Sheikah a multitude of shadows to work with.

"No, Aryll," he replied, his own voice nearly gasping as well. "I'm – I'm all right. Just a dream. Not even a bad one." He grimaced. _At least, I think not._ Just as the dream-Zelda had spoken, he'd sensed some menace behind her, something hateful moving beyond Shadow itself.

Worse, that hadn't even been the most foreboding thing about it. Zelda had been afraid of that 'other Hyrule,' and he'd felt powerless to protect her from it. _Some things,_ words almost his own whispered in his mind, _cannot be fought with sword and bow._ Link grimaced. _I know that,_ he thought in his own voice.

Aryll pulled down her Sheikah veil and grimaced pointedly back at him. "Well, certainly. You look downright peachy." Link stuck his tongue out at her, and she grinned back at that. "Pun most decidedly intended, brother." Her tone whiplashed back to serious and concerned. "I sensed my own presence within your distress, Link, a patently impossible event in reality. That you were dreaming explains it. Your confusion clouds that explanation."

"What?" The Hero blinked at his sister, then rubbed his eyes. "Navi? Some help here?" The fairy muttered, rolled over in his hair, and snored delicately for a moment. "Great. Aryll, the only distinct individuals I remember in my dream are me, Zelda and Impa."

Leaning back into the corner she'd appeared in, Aryll threw the Hero a dubious, uncertain look. "Impa. _The_ Impa." Link nodded, then gave Aryll an appraising look. "That...does not make sense."

The Hero's eyes flew wide. In one thunderstruck moment, he understood. "Of course it does, Aryll. Most people don't return exactly as they were. Zelda and I are notable for almost being exceptions. It's so searing obvious."

"You are not going to convince me I was once the High Sheikah who saved the tribe!" Aryll blurted. Then she blinked once and pulled her veil back up.

Link shrugged. "I won't try, then." He turned to get out of bed, then pulled the sheets back up when he realized what he was about to do. "Um, Aryll?" He made a turning motion with one finger. He couldn't see Aryll smile through the veil, but he could almost feel her doing it anyway while she turned her back. Link leaped out of bed and dressed with alacrity, yanking on his Hero's garb as quickly as physically possible. "Done," he said once he was lacking only cap and boots. "What really concerns me is that Impa had just told us about the arrival of the Mushroom Tales hero Luigi."

Aryll, already facing him again, pulled down the veil. Her frown had returned, though not as intensely as before. "That's two nights in a row. It could be coincidence...but I wouldn't wager on it."

"I agree." He stepped into his boots, settling into them with a couple of quick foot-wiggles. "I'm heading for the castle. Her Highness should hear this, even if it does turn out to be just a dream."

The young Sheikah nodded. "We should be so fortunate. Shall I go ahead of you?"

"Hm." Link thought about that for a second. "Yes. I'll be along as quickly as I can." He smiled. "You know, some day I'm going to have to follow in the Hero's footsteps and learn the ways of the Sheikah."

Aryll lowered the veil long enough to grin back. "You _are_ the Hero. As to your point," she continued blithely, ignoring his blush, "you are _not_ the Hero of Time, so I hope you don't feel obligated on that account...but otherwise, I'd be honored to help." With that, she vanished.

 _Well._ The Hero's eyes rolled up toward his hairline, just above which Navi still snored. She was so quiet he had to concentrate to hear her, but still the fairy slept. _This is going to be an interesting day._ He picked up his cap and turned to leave. _I wonder if I'm going to ever have any other kind again._ Link donned the legendary cap and left, still considering his future as he walked briskly towards the great castle.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 _The Princess of Destiny stared in shock at the woman standing next to her Hero._ Mother? _she thought, her mind refusing to process anything aside from that one word. For several seconds, she stared at the armored figure, even while more allies emerged from the 'warp pipe:' a well-armed fox-man, a yellow rodent sheathed in lightning, two pink spheres with stubby limbs – one of them with cat-ears and a swirling hairdo. The heavily-armored warrior noticed the princess' regard, then looked at Zelda's Hero while the two men in overalls – Mario and Luigi, she realized – laughed at a rapidly retreating Bowser. Link nodded to the woman, and she removed her helmet._

_Her heart resumed beating. The resemblance was uncanny in many ways, but aside from the slightly different hair and more oval face, her ears were clearly not Hylian. They were short and round, like an Altean's. "Link told me you might react like that." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Samus. You must be Zelda." She smiled wryly. "Half the time he strings more than three words together, it's to talk about you." Link, predictably, blushed. Zelda accepted the offered hand automatically, as if in a dream._

" _Y'all should talk," a man in a blue uniform replied. His comment had the clear sound of double-meaning. Link and Samus shared another silent glance, and the fox-man chuckled. "You don't agree, Fox?"_

" _I'm not going to complain," Fox replied, Zelda trying not to boggle further at the fox-man being named...Fox. "Anyone who can take out Andross with arm cannons and arrows – arrows! – can speak in_ semaphore _for all I care."_

_Zelda nodded absently, her guest Peach striding up behind her, the fellow princess accompanied by Impa. "It's done, then?" Zelda asked._

" _Yep," Luigi agreed, nodding, "though I hope this isn't the last team-up of...the Smash'a Brothers!" He jabbed his fist into the air enthusiastically._

_Most of those present groaned. "Not that corny name again," the boy with the red cap sighed. Luigi's head fell forward in embarrassed defeat. Peach giggled..._

...and Zelda awoke.

She clutched at her chest, trying to make her heart slow and her breaths come naturally. It was an effort. _My mother did not possess or wear Light Armor,_ she told herself firmly, the First Mind Kata allowing the princess to center herself quickly. _My mother was a queen born from queens. My father ruled a land that has been at peace for a thousand years. Had been._ Zelda quickly regained control, then considered what she had seen. _That was...a memory, or very near to one. Not unlike the Hero's from the previous night, from what he told me._ She stood and dressed with calm efficiency that was swift without being rushed.

There was a polite knock at her door. "Your Highness?" Aryll called gently.

"Enter," the princess replied, attaching her last shoulder plate. Aryll appeared through Shadow. Zelda smiled distantly. "It might be well for you to get more in the habit of using the doors you knock on, Sheikah," she said quietly.

Aryll scowled. "A matter of my training," she half-explained. "Link had another dream," she said quickly. Zelda realized that her fellow Sheikah was changing the subject, but suddenly, she didn't care. "It was from the same time period as the previous one, apparently a memory of the Hero of Time."

"That is...beyond the plausibility of coincidence," the princess replied slowly, "as I awakened from just such a dream mere minutes ago." Aryll's face went completely smooth, Zelda recognizing the effect as Sheikah training. She hid her surprise well, but the effort had shown as clearly as the dawning sun. "This bodes ill. The gap between dimensions has not truly healed, and these allies of the Hero's traversed them with comparative ease."

"I take it that you are not this concerned over his allies," Aryll said.

Zelda nodded. "Vaati would not be so mad, at least not alone. After his defeat, however, he may find allies farther afield." She gestured at her shelves, which covered an entire wall and were almost entirely filled with books. "Alas, our records regarding the Hero's life after his victory are extremely limited. I can read all we know of these 'Smash' warriors, those native to our Realm aside, by noon."

Aryll shrugged, then sat on the side of Zelda's bed, resting her arms on her thighs and regarding the princess evenly. "More scrying, then?"

"Indeed." The princess frowned slightly. "I do hope that the passage of time and incarnations will not prove problematic. Who knows what a thousand years has done to those other worlds?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midna floated through the ruins of what appeared to be some alien temple. Statues of some strange, wingless bird-people were its only population, at least now that she'd destroyed the local Primids, strangely clawed half-spheres, and armored beetles. The Twilight Princess had felt brief satisfaction at obliterating her foes, but the melancholy that threatened to overwhelm her had returned. She'd traced Dalkin's energy here, but the trail had gone cold in this place, desolate even by Midna's standards. She floated onto a half-broken block, illuminated by the setting sun, brushing aside a sorry-looking vine with her hair-hand.

Midna felt something move toward her. She didn't see it when she looked around or hear it when she held still, but she could feel it all the same. Peering through the eye of her Fused Shadow helmet, she concentrated...and saw a translucent white figure, much like one of the Sages's projections, save this one looked like the bird statues she'd seen earlier. It was watching her with what she guessed was a mixture of confusion and interest. It squawked at her.

"Sorry, cucco-boy, I don't speak chicken," she quipped back.

#That is acceptable,# it replied psychically, and Midna shot three feet into the air. #My apologies. I mean you no harm,# it added when she pointed her Twilight Spear directly at its head.

"That's fortunate," Midna drawled, "for you." She circled the strange, beaked creature, which merely turned in the air to watch her. Her Twilight Spear never wavered from its target. "I take it you're a native?"

#My people came here long ago, to explore, study and meditate. The Great Poison destroyed this place, and nearly us as well.# The avian looked into the distance then, its gaze turning away from Midna for the first time since its appearance. #The Hatchling saved us, but traces enough of the Worm's taint remain in the land and the life that the Worm returned with the space dragon to harvest samples.# The creature paused, and Midna examined the thing. _It's...made of Twilight, or something very close to it,_ the imp realized. #She – the Worm – had an ally, one my intuition tells me you would recognize.#

Midna felt a chill suddenly. "Ganondorf," she whispered. The avian nodded. "Why?"

#I sincerely wish I could enlighten you,# her companion said, its beak drooping. #Alas, all I can say for certain is that a greater poison lies behind them, one of fire and shadow, stone and hate.#

"Hmph," Midna scoffed in annoyance. "I hate riddles. That's why I always left them to Link. Not that I didn't help, of course," she added hastily.

The avian flickered like a Light Charm slowly dispelling. #The Hatchling is coming, with an appropriate ally, it would seem. She will help you.# It bowed to Midna, who returned the gesture as much out of reflex as anything else. #Forgive me. I cannot remain.# With that, it was gone.

 _Feh. At least it meant 'cannot' literally._ Midna had felt its energy failing, as if staying even that long had been a considerable effort. She flew into the air in what she thought was the vain hope of spotting this 'Hatchling,' though what a chick could do to help her was beyond Midna's understanding.

 _On the other hand..._ A young man with wings was flying towards her, though Midna was fairly certain he hadn't seen her yet. _...wait. Bird-boy called the Hatchling 'she.'_ The angel, or at least what seemed like one, looked down and beckoned onward a figure armored in a mobile weapon of obvious power. The Twilight Princess whistled. _That sure doesn't look like a hatchling to me._

Throwing caution to the wind – _sorry, Dalkin, I'm in a hurry_ – she shot towards the lad who reminded her so much of the Hero. "Hello," she called.

The angelic figure darted into the air in surprise, somehow missing her entirely. He aimed above them all in alarm, looking for aerial enemies.

"Hey!" Midna extended her hair and grabbed his sandal, tugging at it. _Oh, what the heck._ "Listen!" she added with a wicked grin. "If it works for Navi, right?" the imp laughed when the lad tracked her grip down to Midna herself.

"Did you say Navi?" the armored warrior called up. She took off her helmet, revealing herself as clearly a beorc woman beneath the layers of metal. "Are you a friend of the Hero's?"

"Not that I deserve it," she replied bitterly, releasing the knight's handsome companion, "but yes. How do you know him?"

"We fought together twice before," the knight explained, tucking the helmet under her arm as Midna and the angel landed in front of her. "We've also sparred quite a bit, though I haven't seen him in years. Yourself?"

The Twilight Princess was struck by a feeling of impending chaos. _Years ago, the Hero of Light was a boy in Ordon,_ she mused darkly. _I have a bad feeling about this._ Midna shrugged as nonchalantly as she could manage. "What else? He freed me from a terrible curse and saved my kingdom from a power-mad sorcerer." She looked herself over wryly. "Though I'm suffering from a relapse at the moment."

The angel grinned while the knight chuckled wryly. "That sounds like Link, all right," the woman said. She stuck out her hand. "Samus."

The imp eyed the hand for a moment, but caught no trace of irony or insult toward her form in the gesture. "Midna," she replied simply, accepting the hand and shaking.

"Does he know about Ganondorf?" the angel asked, worry written on him as clearly as if someone had stamped 'I'm concerned about Link' in glowing script on the lad's forehead.

Again, Midna shrugged, though she was far less casual about it this time. "I do not know. I hope so. I can't deal with that yet, though. I'm tracking my own Hero, his Dark counterpart–"

"Good or bad?" Samus asked bluntly.

"Good," Midna shot back with more force than she intended. Samus' face smoothed over immediately. "He's their prisoner. I mean to save him. I owe him...a lot more than that, in truth, but I'll start with a rescue if I must."

The angel scrunched his face as if squeezing serious thought and childlike concentration into one expression. _He looks...both older and younger, somehow,_ Midna thought, deciding that the look made him seem younger...except for his eyes, which seemed almost eternal. _Could he be an actual angel?_ Finally, his face cleared, and the lad nodded. "I'll go tell him."

Samus looked over at him in alarm. "Can you _find_ Hyrule, Pit?" she asked pointedly. Midna blinked owlishly at that. _Pit? What a strangely dire name for so innocent a creature._

"I've been watching them for several incarnations," Pit replied, then looked down suddenly. _So_ he _knows, at least,_ Midna decided, _but it looks very much like he hasn't told Samus. Interesting._ He looked back up, his determination radiating powerfully enough to match the Hero's. "I'll find them."

The knight nodded, then replaced her helmet. Pit folded his wings around himself, then vanished. "Useful trick," Midna said dryly.

"Angel," Samus replied, her tone as direct as ever. "So. Any ideas where to find your friend?"

Midna looked at the ground, fists balled up in frustration. "The trail went cold back there," she said, using her hair-made fist to point a thumb at where she'd been sitting moments before.

Samus nodded, then touched her helmet. It beeped. "Phazon," she said, her tone hinting at an undercurrent of old anger. "Right. This way." She turned and headed back the way she'd come. Midna followed alongside immediately. _Why do I have the feeling things just got a lot more complicated?_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hero found himself heartened by the castle grounds, green and alive, and the castle itself almost completely restored. The last damaged tower was only missing a section of roof and part of the walkway leading to it. Crews were working tirelessly while he watched.

Still, he was more heartened to see his old friends from Telma's Bar, save for Rusl, gathered there talking. Chad apparently prepared a picnic for them, and as the Hero walked up, he was handing Ashei a bread bowl with scrambled eggs and cheese mixed together in it. Ashei mumbled some sort of thanks to the scholar and dug in enthusiastically. Link waved, and Auru waved back, chuckling around an orange muffin he'd just stuffed in his mouth.

Telma laughed outright, standing. "Still our favorite chatterbox, eh, Hero?" she said, walking over and giving him a rib-creaking hug.

"Hi – wheeze – Telma," Link gasped. The bartender took the hint and let go, allowing the Hero to hit the ground with a heavy _thump._ Louise wandered over from behind Auru once he was at the picnic blanket, and looked up at him insistently. Link smiled, sat crosslegged next to Shad, and gave the long-haired cat a determined scratch. Louise purred contentedly.

"Never known anyone with such a way with animals as you, hon," Telma said with another chuckle. Link shrugged.

"Say, old boy," Shad cut in, probably trying to sound casual, "have you been to the City in the Sky since driving off Zant and..." he swallowed. "Ganondorf?" The scholar gestured as if drawing a triangular symbol over his heart. It seemed somehow familiar to Link.

"I'm sorry, no," Link replied, nonplused. "Shad, what...was that?" He waved at the young man's chest.

"Mmm?" Shad hummed with a raised eyebrow. "Oh! That's – I drew the Triforce over my heart." He looked crestfallen. Even his ears drooped somewhat. "The church of the Triune Way has fallen far indeed if its own Hero does not know its primordial ritual."

"Prima-what?" Ashei blurted.

Shad took a deep breath. "Primordial, ancient, original," he explained. "To make the symbol of the Triforce over one's heart, or at least a simple triangular representation of it, was believed to protect the faithful from evil. Either it was always a mere comfort or the ritual has lost its power, but the representation of faith remains, even if only a handful remember."

Aryll appeared beside the Hero. Link bounced in place, but only slightly. "I did that in the Chamber of Sages." She smiled at Shad. "The Sheikah remember, scholar." Shad beamed while she returned her attention to Link. "I never imagined you didn't know it, _aniki,_ or I would have shown you."

"I didn't see that," Link said quietly, forcing an even expression onto his face, "but admittedly, I was a bit distracted." Aryll paled faintly and nodded. "You will keep doing that, won't you, _imoto?"_ he added, smiling fondly.

Aryll let out a huff when the others chucked, then sat next to her brother in an almost identical posture to his. "Most likely. You could stand more watching over." The group laughed more boisterously at that, and Link chose discretion (or at least a wide strip of bacon) as the better part of valor. "Perhaps my appearances will hone your senses until you aren't quite as reckless as a charging Bullbo."

Link grabbed a napkin and waved it in surrender. Telma was close to tears from laughing. "Where's Rusl?" the Hero asked evenly.

"On his way, I hope," Auru explained. "Her Highness sent some knights to Ordon not long ago, those who've shown promise," he added when Link looked up in alarm, "to train with Rusl and defend the kingdom's frontier."

Link nodded in what he hoped was approval. "Rusl was the closest thing I had to a father. I learned the sword from him." Ashei rumbled something that might have been her own approval. "Just so. It's an inspired decision." He grinned suddenly. "I suppose expecting wisdom from Zelda is like expecting the sun to rise in the east."

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you," Rusl called as he approached. Link immediately leapt to his feet and bounded over to the older knight, just managing not to hug him as emphatically as Telma had him. Rusl laughed. "Gods, Link, they're going to mistake your for a Goron soon!"

Link chuckled and put his mentor down. "Telma keeps me honest," he replied, just managing not to rub his side. "You've been busy."

"You have no idea," Rusl agreed, sitting by the blanket the moment they were in front of it, "but some of them have real potential. Pierre's almost as fast as you, and Senza's nearly as strong." He practically swallowed the sausage Shad gave him. Rusl ignored the scholar's sour look. "Sir Senza's become quite popular in Ordon. Talo is always pestering him for a chance to 'wield' his sword, and Beth makes eyes at him whenever she thinks she can get away with it."

"Sounds like everyone's doing well," the Hero said quietly. The others looked at each other for a long moment, then broke up into separate, quiet conversations.

"You needn't be so coy, Link," Rusl replied, patting Link on the shoulder. "Uli and Rina are doing nicely. Colin's halfway to knighthood already, I dare say, always practicing with his little sword and shield. Malo even visited once, though he spent half his time in town talking to Sera."

"Smart lad," Link averred.

"Mayor Bo's doing well," Ruls continued more slowly. "Fado's been having a bit of trouble with the goats since you left, but nothing we can't handle. Senza's been a great help with them."

Link perked up at that. "Really?"

Rusl nodded, then grabbed an egg-laden bread bowl and took a large bite. "No one could replace you, Link, but the town's half-adopted the big fellow."

The question he hadn't been able to ask finally refused to be denied any longer. "Ilia?" he blurted. Link blushed. Mercifully, the others didn't laugh, and even pretended not to notice. Aryll pulsed fond exasperation at him psychically, but didn't comment otherwise.

"Better, better," Rusl said, shifting in place a touch uncomfortably. He took another big bite. "Beth's not too happy with how much attention the knights have been paying her."

"Just how much is that?" Link asked, suddenly worried. _I've seen how some of those men look at Castle Town women._

Rusl laughed. "Relax, Link, I've made it very clear that Ilia has many friends who would take overly aggressive attention _very_ poorly." Link nodded in relief. "Besides, the other knights are rather frustrated at how quickly one's been standing out from the others."

For a moment, the Hero stared at Rusl, uncomprehending. _Oh,_ he thought, realization striking. "Senza?" he asked. The older knight nodded, and Link exhaled in relief. "He's a good knight and a good man."

"Heh." Rusl thumped Link on the shoulder again. "We all tend to worry needlessly, eh?"

The Hero blinked at that, utterly lost. #He means,# Aryll sent as bluntly as Ashei might, #that he was worried you'd be jealous. Now he realizes how silly that was with Mr. Pure-of-Heart.# Link quickly grabbed an apple muffin and hid behind it, digging in emphatically.

#Mmm. That's our Link,# Navi added sleepily, stirring in his hair. #Takes a few decades to pound his nobility into his head.# Link's blush spread beyond the muffin's ability to hide it.

"So," Zelda's voice echoed across the field, and the Hero stood almost immediately, "what did I miss?" Aryll ducked her head for no reason Link could guess at.

"Not much," Link replied. "History lessons, news from Ordon, as much as my village _has_ news, good humor." He took her hand the moment she reached him.

"Taking turns teasing your Hero," Telma quipped with a laugh. Ashei and Rusl joined her, though they both stood as well. Zelda waved at them to sit back down, and they complied quickly.

"It's good to see you, Zel," he whispered.

Aryll cleared her throat. "Her Highness wants your help with another scrying project."

In an instant, Link's face smoothed over. "At your service, my lady." He bowed, though he took the opportunity to kiss the princess' hand. He felt her shiver at his touch. Navi's surprise at his satisfaction rippled through their bond.

"Ahem. We can enjoy this fine brunch first, surely," Zelda said, her voice almost perfectly composed. Almost. She carefully arranged her voluminous skirting and sat beside where the Hero had been, taking advantage of Shad rising to serve the gathered friends once more. Link returned to his own spot, settling in beside her. "I would not want to disrupt this reunion of your resistance."

Auru snorted at that, eliciting a chuckle from Telma. "We have been considering," he said with clear deliberation, "a name change."

"We are not calling ourselves the 'Adventurer's Guild,' Auru," Ashei replied, though quite mildly. _For Ashei, at least,_ Link observed privately, though Navi giggled helplessly, the fairy almost fully awake.

"It does seem appropriate for the new directions our activities have taken, Sir Ashei," Shad noted, placing another egg bowl before the knight. Ashei grumbled something unintelligible and attacked the food as if it were a Stalfos.

"Scrying, Zel?" Link whispered to the princess.

Zelda leaned up almost to his ear, nodding. "I had a dream," she whispered back, "of these 'Smash Brothers' you've recalled. A woman in orange armor. She reminded 'me' of the Princess of Destiny's mother. Aryll told me you had a second dream this morning?"

Forcing back shivers of his own at the feel of her breath along the length of his ear, Link nodded back. #I see,# he 'pathed to her. #I did, and I find it very unlikely that this could be coincidence.#

#Your sister and I agree. Food first.# She straightened, moving away from his ear again, and the Hero could feel the princess' own satisfaction radiating from her. The rest of breakfast – or brunch, since the others seemed to insist on the term given the time of morning – went pleasantly, idle chatter mixing with appreciation for Shad's efforts. The scholar beamed with sincere pleasure at the praise. Navi was particularly impressed by what Shad called 'dew mead,' which was nothing more than a few drops of honey mixed with a like amount of literal morning dew.

They all sat contentedly for a moment around the very empty blanket for a few minutes after having cleared it quite handily, enjoying the breeze, the sounds of nature above and the town below, the sight of the clouds wafting lazily past. Finally, though, Link felt he could wait no more and shifted in place, preparing to stand. "We –"

A shaft of light burst from the heavens, touching down on the blanket. The gathered friends gasped, leaping back in almost perfect unison. All drew weapons but Shad, who clutched at his book, though even he gripped the dagger sheathed in it. Zelda gestured in mid-leap, the swirling light appearing around her and transforming her into Sheik before she landed.

They were all frozen in place, a tableau of violence halted, at the sight of the stunningly handsome/beautiful figure descending through the beam. He wore a cunningly wrapped white cloth draped over his body, bracers not unlike Link's own, tights that didn't reach his knees, and large sandals attached to thick leggings. Far more striking, of course, were the glowing white wings. The Hero almost missed the golden wreath that shone in the figure's hair like...a halo.

"I don't think he's one of Vaati's," Navi quipped, though even her voice was filled with awe. No one bothered to respond.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The angel landed so lightly Sheik wasn't sure he'd touched the ground for a moment. Then he folded his wings and opened his eyes, smiling with sincere joy at the Hero and herself. "Lord Hero," the seemingly young figure said, bowing slightly. He regarded Sheik more formally, dropping to one knee. "Your Highness."

"Please, rise," Sheik replied, sounding almost desperate, even to herself. _It's not every day an angel bows to you,_ she thought, feeling almost a bit delirious. She formed the kuji-in and returned to her normal, royal self. _No point in trying to hide that from him, clearly._ The princess gestured quickly to match her words, and he rose. "You have us at a disadvantage, sir..."

"Just Pit, Your Highness," he replied, his voice bearing as much youth at his appearance...yet with the same hint of eternity that his eyes had. His smile faded away with the glorious gold-white light. "Please, forgive my sudden appearance. Angels do not appear in most overworlds lightly. I sense, though, that you've had some warning of what is coming?"

Zelda nodded. "Dreams. Visions." She gestured to her Hero then. #A little help?# she 'pathed, her tone still a touch desperate even in her mind.

"We've had some sense of a gathering of heroes from beyond the dimensional gap, a memory of long ago," Link filled in, nodding back to the angel in a sort of bow. Ashei licked her lips absently. Aryll half-hid behind Telma. "Memories of another man, at least in some ways. I don't recall you among them, though clearly you're worthy of their number."

Pit ducked his head shyly. "Hardly, Lord Hero. I'm just one of Holy Parthena's divine guard."

"Any more like you at home?" Telma asked with a bawdy wink. Pit turned as deep a shade of red as any blush of Link's had been.

"Forgive me," Pit continued doggedly, looking the Hero firmly in the eyes, "but time may be of...the essence..." he trailed off at the sight of the rapidly approaching knights, led by Ike and his sergeant Titania. The mercenary captain slowed to a walk when he realized to whom they were speaking. "Is he...a lord of the Fire Emblem?"

"That's stretching it more than a little," Ike replied as he reached them, "but I suppose you could call me that in a pinch."

Pit nodded, then gestured with his left arm. A ring of golden light appeared around it, and he pulled it off and handed it to Telma. "Please give this to him when we leave."

"'We?'" Aryll said, clearly alarmed.

"'Leave?'" Link asked, equally alarmed, though for obviously different reasons.

Pit grimaced. "You mentioned Vaati," he said, sounding truly uncertain for the first time since his arrival. Link nodded.

Zelda felt a sudden cold chill, which burned hot for an instant before it vanished. "The King of Evil," she whispered in horror. They all whirled around to stare, even Ike.

"Impossible," Aryll gasped. "Even he couldn't have survived what Link did to him!"

Telma looked at Pit with a calculating gaze that Zelda had never seen before, though she thought for a moment that Link had. "Dragmire's body was burned," she said softly. _When a Gerudo goes quiet, reach for your shield,_ came the Sheikah adage unbidden to Zelda's mind. "Whatever evils he committed, he was still a king of the Gerudos."

The angel sighed sadly. "He lives again, his body restored. If I didn't know better..." he shrugged. "Foul gods and devils struggle for power over the shades of the dead. When last I observed it for Her Holiness, the underworld was in chaos. I fear one of the powers within has made him its champion."

"And so the heirs to heroes gather across the dimensional gap," Zelda finished for him.

Pit looked away, something akin to guilt flickering across his face. "I...am forbidden from telling you more about what has happened in those other worlds. At this time," he added quickly.

"Are you working to change that, lad?" Auru asked gently.

The angel shrugged. "Well, not right _now,_ but whenever I can, uh-huh." His youth seemed to weigh on him more than his age in that moment. "For now, there is one world I can take you to, one threatened by Ganondorf and Vaati."

Link nodded and summoned sword and shield to hand, harnessing them in their traditional place on his back. "Let's go."

"Indeed," Zelda agreed, stepping next to him. The Hero looked at her in alarm, but did not argue. _I love you,_ she thought, the feeling welling almost endlessly within her. "I suspect you will need my magic, my Hero. Anton can manage the court in my absence, Astrid and Dampei hardly require my presence on the Shadow Council lately, and Hyrule's military is in more than capable hands." She bowed slightly to Ike, who grinned sheepishly – so much like the Hero – and bowed back.

Pit nodded. "When you are ready, take my hands." Zelda nodded back, sent quick telepathic packets to the necessary recipients, then turned to the angel.

"Your Highness, are you sure about this?" Rusl blurted.

The princess considered this a moment. "Yes," she said simply, then took the angel's hand almost impulsively. Navi squawked in alarm just before Link followed suit.

The shaft of light appeared around them all this time, and they were drawn up much as they had been during their trip to the Sacred Realm. This time, though, Zelda found herself in an endless mass of spheres, each a different color, suspended in the same white light of the shaft. "What...?" Link whispered in awe. _I know how he feels._

"The gap between dimensions," Pit explained, "is not dark to an angel." He glanced down. Zelda realized that she could make out 'their' orb, their world, the first one she'd seen that was more than one color – it was red, blue and green in equal measure. She was shocked when she realized it was attached to a second orb with the same tri-color pattern.

Pit considered that orb for a moment, then let out a little gasp. "I almost forgot," he whispered, then turned his attention to another sphere that wasn't far from their twin Hyrule dimensions. This one was orange-gold, though it seemed to have three red balls dancing within it. The smaller orbs looked almost alive inside the larger sphere, a thousand stars moving to avoid the deadly trinity. _That reminds me of...something._ The Princess of Destiny's memories called to her across the sea of Time. _What in Farore's name is a Metroid?_ she wondered suddenly.

A thread shot from Pit's left arm, piercing the orange dimension's shell, and they descended with impossible speed into the alternate reality. The red orbs were gone, replaced by an infinite dark that had a thousand thousand spiral lights within. They shot down further, towards one of the spirals, which resolved into what seemed an endless expanse of stars. Down they continued, ever downward, until one system of worlds appeared beneath them. Sky appeared, then land, a magnificent temple taking form near their landing point as their impossible speed reduced to merely mind-boggling. A figure in the same orange-gold of the sphere was fighting alongside a blur of red and black. Zelda recognized the armor instantly. #That's the armor of Samus the Hunter,# she sent. #It must have survived her!#

Link nodded, but looked to their guide then. Zelda followed his gaze on a hunch. Pit looked more disconsolate than ever. _He hates keeping whatever secret he's been commanded not to reveal,_ she realized, feeling a wave of sympathy for the ageless guardian. The Hero clasped her free hand with his. #Be ready. Battle awaits,# he replied.

Zelda nodded, and then with shocking suddenness they were amidst Primids, Moblins, and creatures that looked like man-sized mixtures of mantis and lobster. The unfamiliar creatures fired bursts of deadly light at the trio, but Pit summoned twin blades of blue and gold, connected them, and returned fire with Light Arrows. They scattered at the sight of him.

The Hero looked at Zelda. As one, they nodded, then leaped into the fray. The armored figure and the blur of crimson power had already devastated the attackers' numbers, and those who did not flee quickly were reduced to all too familiar motes of darkness.

Link exhaled and collapsed on a rock outcropping. "That...was fun," he drawled, his voice uncharacteristically sardonic.

The armored figure approached the Hero, head cocked to one side. Of the warrior's ally there was no sign. "Link?" Her Hero nodded. Reaching up, their newfound ally removed her helmet, revealing a stunning beorc beneath. Zelda froze, immediately recognizing the woman. _That's impossible!_ she thought, mind rebelling at the sight. "You look...dark."

The Hero looked up at the woman, blinking in confusion. "I'm sorry?" He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Zelda's heart went out to the young man from Ordon, suddenly carrying the weight of more than one world on his shoulders. "I'm not Dark Link, if that's what you mean."

"Clearly not," she added hastily. The woman looked at Pit, the question clear on her face. The angel looked at his toes, shame warring with determination on his face. The warrior then turned to Zelda. "Your Highness? Can _you_ tell me what's going on?"

"I was hoping, friend," Zelda said slowly, "that you could enlighten us."

"Oh, Din, Nayru and _Farore!"_ Midna blurted, shooting up from behind a hill. Link burst to his feet, where Zelda swayed on hers. Midna was in her imp form again, wearing the helm of the Fused Shadows. "She thinks you're the Hero of Time!" The Twilight Princess flew quickly to the Hero, who stared in horror at his beloved friend. "Oh, and _thank_ you for being so clueless I had to show you _this,"_ she added caustically, gesturing at her diminutive body and spinning completely around. "I trust you'll thank pig-boy in full later."

"Ganondorf did this?" Link gasped quietly.

The warrior shrugged even as Midna nodded. "He has to be behind those Moblins. I don't know what's worse, him working with Ridley or having space ships." Samus looked the Hero over carefully. "You...don't know me, do you?"

"He's the Hero of Light," Midna sighed, drooping in mid-air. "A new incarnation." The warrior's eyes widened. "Which reminds me. Link, Zelda, meet Samus Aran, the Hunter. For her, it's been, what, five years?" Samus nodded, looking as stunned as the Hero himself. The Twilight Princess looked pointedly at Pit.

"Time does not follow any set path in the gap between dimensions," Pit said cryptically.

Samus glared at the hapless angel. "It's been five years for everyone else," she said pointedly. _"Everyone._ But them. Why?"

"I'm not allowed to say," Pit whispered, tears shining in his eyes. "I don't even _know_ why I'm not. I'm sorry."

Samus looked ready to lay into him further, but Link put his hand on her arm, and she relented. _Oh, Fire, Love and Wind,_ Zelda thought, not quite crushing a spike of jealousy, _not another one._ Somehow, the Princess of Destiny had never had to confront this – the Hunter had kept it from both Zelda's past life and the Hero of Time – but after Ilia and Midna, the princess could clearly see the undercurrent beneath the warrior's reserve. To cover her own reaction, she turned to Midna. "Have you any ideas?"

"Not yet," Midna replied with a rumble of annoyance, "but I have an idea where to look. Which means you two can go home."

Link chuckled. "If only that were true." His gaze locked implacably on Midna. "Even if I wouldn't move Light and Shadow to help you, Twilight Princess, as long as Ganondorf is free to act, he threatens Hyrule and the endless worlds I saw in the gap." He shook his head, an echo of his awe radiating from him. "That was...we can't let him hurt them. We can't."

Midna took a deep breath, grimaced...then let it go. "Well, if you're going to be stubborn and thick-headed – in other words, _you_ – you might as well know." She swallowed. "He has Dalkin. Captured while trying to protect me." She bared her teeth like a wild beast. "I'm going to repay Ganondorf's kindness for that, make no mistake."

Impulsively, Link threw his arms around Midna. She swallowed again and sniffled a bit, then squirmed in his hug like an impatient child. "Okay, okay, I get it," she whispered, and he let her go. Midna folded her arms in annoyance, none of it directed at the Hero. "I still hate looking like this, _being_ like this."

Zelda let her eyes follow Samus while Link and Midna conferred. It felt private, and the princess was confident that Link would inform her of any pertinent information. The Hunter stopped at a strange statue of a beaked humanoid, her manner becoming strangely gentle. With her free hand, she stroked the beak fondly. Then, with a suddenness that surprised even Zelda, she turned back to the group, focusing on the angel. "Pit, you're our evac. Where to next?"

The angel said nothing – though Link was free with words around her, Zelda was nevertheless quite used to such taciturn replies. Pit simply nodded and focused on something that was not there. _The gap between dimensions,_ Zelda realized. Again the shaft of light shimmered around their ally, though it was a softer, more diffuse light this time. It was also wider, and easily able to hold the five of them in its circumference. Unhesitatingly, the princess walked into it, rewarded by a surprised sound from her Hero just before he rushed to her side.

Midna sighed and floated over to Link, hovering above his left shoulder. Navi appeared and did the same over his right, making for a bizarre parody of the proverbial angel and devil at his ears. Zelda forced herself not to laugh, not the least reason being that the analogy was as unfair to Midna as it was absurd on the whole.

Samus joined them calmly. To Zelda, her mood almost seemed meditative, like a long-experienced Trained Sheikah. Once they were all gathered, the light drowned out all other sights swiftly, though its speed was neither jarring nor disorienting. This time, they did not watch the ascent or descent, though Zelda could feel it if she concentrated.

Within moments, ten seconds at most, they had 'landed' and their vision quickly cleared. Zelda saw they were on a beach, one of beautiful, clean sand with a mountain rising immediately behind them. Another island was so close as to be practically the same land mass. Both had houses, huts really, though to Zelda's eyes they were built with obvious care and love.

What rocked Zelda on her heels was the painting she saw on the closest door – a stylized Triforce symbol! It was upside-down, true, but clearly not meant to be 'inverted' in the symbolic sense. "...what..." she breathed.

"HEY!" a brash voice demanded. The others turned and made various noises of mild surprise and disapproval, but Zelda straightened as if pulled up by her hair. She turned, and was rewarded by the sight of a girl just entering womanhood. Their loud welcomer was apparently in her mid-teens, with massive blue eyes and an ice cream swirl of blonde hair that was starting to melt into flowing locks that would one day be beautiful. In many ways, she looked unfamiliar. _Nevertheless,_ Zelda thought, feeling just a hint of hysteria, _it isn't every day you hear your own voice from ten years past._ She looked at this child-woman, two hulking warrior-sailors hovering protectively behind her, and _knew_ the blue-clad figure was her dimensional cognate. "Who are you, and what's the big idea dressing like..." she waved at Hero and Princess alike in a manner both imperious and incredulous. "...that?"

Link's eyes glittered dangerously. That threw Zelda more than anything; not only had she never truly misjudged his reaction before, she never imagined him being so fierce with a child. Samus and Midna chuckled in almost perfect unison. Pit looked more inconsolable than ever, and more than a little worried. _He knows,_ Zelda realized. Before anyone else could stop him, though, the Hero was striding forward and talking. "It was not my idea," he said softly, "I assure you." Zelda swallowed. _He does that better than Telma,_ she thought, the feeling of hysteria growing for a moment. The princess strangled the feeling in its crib. "You are...?"

"Captain Tetra," their challenger declared confidently, "Pirate Queen of the Great Sea! And you," she added, pointing firmly at Link, "are not the rightful bearer of that garb."

Link's eyes grew hard as sapphires. He drew the Master Sword and held it out, pointing straight up so as not to threaten immediately. The two large men leaped back, but 'Captain Tetra' merely stared. Her eyes bored into the blade with fierce intent. "That...that's not possible," she said finally, her voice softening at last. _Finally. I was beginning to wonder if the only tones she had were 'harsh' and 'harsher,'_ Zelda mused.

The princess stepped forward. "Forgive our intrusion, captain, but we are seeking a dangerous and evil wizard, one who has done much harm in our world." She gestured at Pit, who didn't move. "This noble spirit brought us here in search of him."

Tetra snorted. "If he's more dangerous than Ganondorf, I'll eat the Hero's cap." That brought Zelda up short, and from the look of him, Link as well. The princess recovered quickly, though. _A parallel Hyrule, then, clearly. But why? And why a 'Great Sea?'_

"You have a Ganondorf," Link said, his voice nearly a whisper now. "We have a Ganondorf. If our friend Pit," he said, gesturing at the angel with his shield hand, "is correct, our Ganondorf is here." Tetra was peering at Link more intently than ever, now, as if she recognized him – not just 'a' Link, but _him,_ the Hero of Light. "And I have little care for thieves, pirate or no. You can help, or you can move."

Tetra snorted. "Huh. You've got backbone." She looked away then, distant guilt flickering in her eyes. "Okay, that's unfair, the kid's got more courage than sense," she muttered, mostly to herself. She glared back at them, then, defiantly. "As for pirates, we only steal from those who deserve it, tyrants and the like." Tetra grinned most piratically then. "Of course, some of them can be very petty tyrants indeed."

Midna sighed and shoved forward. "Good to see you exercise that iron in you, Hero, but you're still being too patient with them." The hand flared out, knocking both would-be bodyguards over with ease. The Twilight Princess had only bothered using one finger on each. Tetra gasped, looking with concern at her men, then whirled around with a scimitar in each hand, snarling and moving almost like a Gerudo. Midna snorted with dismissive amusement.

"Midna, don't," Zelda began, but never determined what else she would have said. They were all frozen by a very familiar gasp and cry, then a heroic shout. Leather boots slapped wood. Air rushed behind Tetra. A figure in emerald, wearing an unmistakable cap and bearing a shining mirrored shield, landed between the pirate and the Hero. _Or at least_ my _Hero._ He reached into fairy space, pulled out an empty hourglass, and turned it in a strange way. It turned into a magnificent sword, one that shone much like the Master Sword itself.

"Leave Tetra alone," he said, and though his voice was higher and more gentle, it was unmistakably the voice of the Hero. The Hero of Light stared in amazement.

_Fire, Love and Wind. Now what?_


	9. Part II, Chapter Two: Beyond Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Two: Beyond Time

_The past._

_The Hero of Time laughed, his joy bubbling over in the radiance of his princess' good humor. "He didn't!" Zelda blurted._

_"Indeed he did," Link replied with another laugh. "Falcon then emerged from the ruins of the enormous cake, held out both hands filled to overflowing with frosting, and said in his best growly-menacing voice, 'Who wants some?' Then he cracked up harder than the rest of us!" He wiped his eyes as they walked down the corridor of Toadstool Castle towards the main ballroom. In the distance, when his eyes were clear, the Hero could make out the tables, crystal balls, computer banks, and other equipment from a dozen realities that had been used to convert the room into Smash Brothers Central._ How that name stuck, I'll never know, _he mused. "Samus never questioned his sense of humor again. Well, not its existence, anyway. Its quality, on the other hand..."_

_"Gods, I beg you, enough," Zelda gasped between laughs, clutching her side with one arm. "I do want to have one or two shreds of my dignity when–" she paused to chuckle again, "–when we find Peach." They leaned on one another, just barely stifling their chuckles before they entered the ballroom._

_The sight that greeted them drove a blade through their laughter's heart. Peach was the only member present, looking disconsolate and morosely tracing curves on the table's surface with one fingernail. She looked up when they entered and flinched at the sight of Zelda. "Z-Zel-Zelda," she gasped, almost hiccuping the name out. "I..." she looked away again._

_"Peach?" Zelda hiked up her dress to run over to her fellow princess, but Peach sidled away._ What in Nayru's name? _Link thought in disbelief. "Peach, talk to me," Zelda pleaded quietly. "What's wrong? What happened to 'Zellie?' Why..."_

_Peach looked up again, more confused than hurt at this point. "But...but this morning, you told me not to call you that."_

_Thunderheads grew along Zelda's brow. Link knew exactly how she felt. "Peach, we just arrived," Zelda said with a ferocious calm._

_Though he never understood why the castle's magic mimicked the earpieces the technos wore, in that moment Link didn't care. He reached up and touched his ear, activating the palace's sympathetic magic. "Full conference, all hunters," he rumbled. Zelda was already halfway to a rapidly recovering Princess Toadstool._ Whatever some of the others may think, Peach has never been stupid.

_"Fox here. That you, Hero?" McCloud replied quickly._

_"Yes. We have an impostor," he said, voice dire. Fox gasped, then growled. Link was already walking, moving with a will towards the nearest staircase. "False Zelda. The genuine article is with Peach." He stopped briefly and turned. "Stay together," he said firmly._

_Zelda grinned at him and bowed. "As you command, Your Majesty."_

_The Hero's eyes widened, but he quickly controlled his shock, recovering with no more than a sigh._ Oh Din, Nayru and Farore. As long as she stays safe. _He remembered her reaction to Dark Zelda with a shudder, already walking towards the staircase once more._ Never again.

_"Samus is on private mode," Fox reported._

_The Hero forced himself not to grit his teeth. "Use the 'knock' protocol," he replied as evenly as he could. "This is almost certainly a security breach. Meanwhile, get the Falcons up to the roof and Marth out to the east wing. I've got the west. Contact Mario and have him get the bouncers on this."_

_"Roger." Link heard Fox working his devices. Zelda had likened them to 'Lightning Charms' of a sort, though while the Hero understood the metaphor, he preferred to think of them simply as machines, the way most of their owners did._

_A sigh whispered in his ear. "Link, this had better be good. I was_ just _about to step into the shower," Samus grumbled, though it sounded good-natured. Mostly._

_"There's a Zelda duplicate in the castle," Link said simply. He could almost hear Samus straighten. "Possible Shadow. She's been here since this morning, minimum."_

_Samus sounded mildly surprised._ That means anyone else would sound incredulous, _Link decided. "An imposter? Link, I just spent half an hour talking to Sheik. She might have been a touch evasive, but she was very much the woman I know. Are you sure?"_

_"Completely." Link padded up the stairs and scanned the hallway. Nothing. "Did she say where she was going?" he asked, not really imagining 'Sheik' would have told..._

" _Yes, actually," Samus replied. "If you're in the west wing, she should be on a nearby balcony." He heard sections of armor clicking into place. "She could just be another dimensional cognate. Remember 'Dr. Mario?'"_

_Link considered the possibility. "Maybe. Still, she left Peach on the verge of tears. That's not Zel." He frowned._ Then again, some versions of her have...been through a lot. _He rounded a corner and saw Sheik leaning on a balcony railing, looking at the fields beyond, lost in thought. "Found her. Will report soon." Sheik stiffened at the sound of his voice, but he already had his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Please make no sudden moves," he said quietly. "If you are simply a cognate, we can discuss this, but I want to know who you are before..."_

_Slowly, carefully, she turned and looked at him with wide eyes. Eyes he knew in a heartbeat. His hand fell numbly from his sword hilt._ Those eyes...the same eyes, red or blue... _He forced himself to breath normally. He forced himself to breathe at all. "Zelda?" he whispered._

_Sheik pulled her concealing scarf down. She swallowed, then gestured, the kuji-in swallowing her in Shadow, then bathing her in Light. The Zelda he'd first known stood there, looking at him with wide, sorrowful eyes. How he knew it was her, he had no idea, but it was her. Of that much, Link was certain._

His _Zelda appeared behind him in a swirl of Farore's Wind, landing in a crouch with Din's Fire between her hands. "Identify yourself," she said commandingly._

_Zelda-A sighed. "He knows," she said, gesturing at the Hero of Time. Zel straightened in shock, making the connection immediately. The ball of fire remained in her hands, however. "Hello, Link. It's been a while."_

" _No kidding," he replied, his voice sharper and colder than he'd meant. Zelda-A flinched._

_Then a small forest-green blur shot bast them, and a Link not much older than the Hero had been when he found Termina stood before him, Gilded Sword in his hand and Terminan 'Hero's Shield' strapped to his other arm. He interposed himself between the Hero and Zelda-A without hesitation. "Back off!" he blurted, his Navi swirling out from his cap. The adult Link's Navi did the same. Then Young Link realized who he was facing and gaped, lowering his sword._

_Zel finally let the flame dissipate. "Luigi has some explaining to do," she sighed._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The present.

The Hero of Light had an overwhelming sense of deja vu. The young, shorter version of him straightened at the sight of the older Link, weapon drooping. "That's – that's the Master Sword!"

"The very same," Zelda agreed.

"But that's impossible! We left the Master Sword in Ganondorf's head!" The younger Link shot an intense stare at the Blade of Evil's Bane.

"Well, not the _very_ same," Midna quipped. "More like a mirror image."

"Through a glass darkly would be my description," Tetra drawled. Midna shuddered at that, then growled, her crimson fist raised menacingly. Tetra whirled her blades. "Bring it."

"Everyone calm down," both Links said simultaneously. They looked at each other and chuckled, the younger Link rubbing the back of his neck. Tetra sighed and lowered her blades. Midna snarled and retracted the fist back into her hair.

Zelda nodded. "Well done, Heroes. Captain, based on what your Link said–"

"The Hero of Winds," Tetra cut in. At Midna's glare, she snorted. "Hey, we need _some_ way to distinguish between them. Want me to call that giant of yours Link-B?"

"The Hero of Light," Zelda replied simply, smiling. "It appears we come from very different 'reflections' of Hyrule."

_This isn't Hyrule,_ Link thought sadly. He kept the notion to himself, however, while Tetra continued. "Well, Hero of This and Hero of That'll be mouthfuls." She looked from one Link to the other twice, then nodded. "Okay, mine'll be Wind-Link," she said, dropping her hand on the shorter Link's shoulder, "and yours can be Light-Link. Two syllables, no waiting."

"Sounds lame," Midna shot back. Tetra bared her teeth at the imp.

" _But_ functional," 'Light-Link' immediately cut in. "I don't have a problem with it." _Fire, Love and Wind. We'd better defuse this soon._

'Wind-Link' nodded in kind. "I like it too...Light-Link." The kid grinned.

"So now what?" Samus asked bluntly, folding her arms. "Ganondorf, at least the one who's still walking and breathing, must be here for something."

Light-Link grimaced. "What else? He's here to double down."

Most of the others grimaced right along with him. Wind-Link looked at his counterpart in confusion. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means if we don't find him fast," Tetra replied darkly, "we'll have two Kings of Evil to deal with."

No one had much to say to that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

" _Tell_ me why we're here again?" Vaati drawled bitingly. He gestured at the towering circle of ruins around them, only ocean and distant dots of island visible beyond them.

Ganondorf sighed. "That Her Holiness commands it should be enough for you, lackey," he said in an almost friendly tone, "yet I will explain, since you seem incapable of basic deduction." Vaati seethed furiously, Beamos fire crackling from his palms, yet he wisely did nothing. The King of Evil gestured at the water beyond their steel ship's prow. Moblins cowered, while Stalfos peered ahead curiously. The Primids milled as mindlessly as ever. "My counterpart is down there, an alternate pirate-king who was cheated of his prize in his moment of triumph. Together, we will accomplish what neither could alone." Dragmire frowned. "And while I have my doubts, Her Holiness believes this one will bring about the return of Ganon. I can only imagine that She can control the Dark Beast."

"You call me lackey," Vaati snarled, the water Ganondorf pointed his hand at swirling in an ever-growing whirlpool, "yet you serve this so-called goddess willingly. Your worshipful tone is sickening. Where is your pride?"

Ganondorf's friendly demeanor vanished. His head didn't move in the slightest, but his eyes flickered dangerously in Vaati's direction. "Her Holiness is the very incarnation of the shadow and the fire. She commanded death itself to release me, and is the first divinity in my experience worthy of worship. I overthrow men, not gods. My so-called 'mothers' taught me the folly of that long ago." Subtle flames burned around Ganondorf's eyes while the ship slowly moved towards the massive whirlpool. "You, however, are no god, little Wind Mage. Know your place, or you will be...educated." Vaati glared back for a moment, then looked away, eyes downcast in defeat.

The strange, sail-less ship, shaped like a large metal lifeboat, went obediently down the whirlpool. Gravity held the crew to the deck and the ship kept a steady course in spite of the spinning current and straight drop. Below them, one lone fish swam among the parapets of Castle Hyrule. It frowned at the interlopers as if intelligent.

"How do we free your counterpart?" Vaati asked sullenly. "You said the Master Sword was yet driven through him."

Ganondorf's smile returned. "The Power to Repel Evil," he said, gesturing to a hatch behind them, "will be my reflection's salvation." The hatch opened, and four huge Moblins carried an enormous mirror with Dalkin tied firmly to it. He was spreadeagled across it as if prepared for a sacrifice. Heavy chains held him fast, and while he hung limply from them, his eyes flared a defiance Vaati envied. _As fearless as his counterpart of Light, the fool,_ the Wind Mage mused.

Dalkin bared his teeth at the King of Evil. "What do you want, pig-boy?" he snarled.

"Temper temper," Ganondorf admonished with a waggle of his finger, his good humor restored. "I have need of Shadow Link." Dalkin looked at his bonds, then back at the villain. His expression was as pointed as it was sardonic. "Oh no," the Gerudo continued, "not you, _Dark_ Link. Even if you served me willingly, you lack a certain quality I require."

"Evil?" Dalkin drawled.

Ganondorf chuckled. "That too." He gazed placidly at the approaching castle. The fields around it were a strange mix of grass and seaweed, the land's inherent magic not yet having entirely surrendered to the unnatural ocean. The Gerudo's expression softened, becoming contemplative, perhaps even a touch...sad? "If I am evil," he whispered, "then what does one call the power that did this?"

"Desperate," Dalkin replied with a shrug.

Vaati chuckled, but Ganondorf merely shrugged back. Then, he lifted his other hand, and staggering power swirled around him once he began concentrating. The Wind Mage gaped while Ganondorf expanded their pocket of air, forcing the water back. _The water pressure alone..._ Vaati boggled at the raw force that must have been required. "I thought he didn't have the Triforce of Power any more," he whispered.

"He still resonates with it, more's the pity," Dalkin explained, his tone conversational. "It's not the same as actually _having_ the Triforce, but as you can see..." He nodded towards the now-dry castle. The boat was now descending, deck and keel in their proper orientation as it fell slowly through the air, towards a small pool of remaining water a few yards from the castle gates. "...it's enough to do the trick. This time."

Ganondorf relaxed slightly once they landed, drawing sorcerous symbols in the air that held the bubble of raw power in place. Then he exhaled, leaning on the railing for a moment. It only took the Gerudo a moment to catch his breath, though, and before Vaati could consider the possibilities of a vulnerable King of Evil, he'd recovered enough to force the doors open with a savage chop that knocked them back with a resonant crash. "Let's go," he rumbled. The crew followed. Dalkin's mirror bobbed behind them like a strange balloon.

They trudged through the castle, minions picking their way past rubble and soaked, ruined tapestries. Vaati raised an eyebrow when they left out the other side, continuing down a path leading to a cavern, then through and up a keep that seemed vaguely familiar to the Wind Mage. Finally, they reached the roof. There, what looked like a crude statue of a portly Ganondorf dominated a great spiraling symbol. Embedded in the statue's head was the Master Sword – or at least _a_ Master Sword. "Hm," Vaati grunted. "Now what?"

Ganondorf turned to Dalkin and smiled coldly. "Now, we call forth the being that will free my counterpart from his unnatural tomb." He reached out towards the helpless Dark Hero...and made a fist.

Dalkin screamed. It was so horrific and wrenching a sound that even Vaati's blood ran cold to hear it. After several endless seconds, his screaming began to subside, and the shadow of the mirror changed. It shifted and warped, taking on the form of the Hero's Shadow. Then, after nearly a minute, Dalkin hung limply from his prison, spent, and the Shadow...stood up. "Ah!" it said, marveling at its arms and body. It was nearly identical to Dalkin in form, but slightly smaller, with a wider head and shorter legs. It seemed to be the shadow of a boy in his mid-teens, on the cusp of manhood, not one fully mature. "I am restored." He bowed to Ganondorf. "What is thy bidding, my master?" it said, a wry grin matching its tone. _It sounded like some private joke,_ the Wind Mage mused.

"Your master," Ganondorf replied, "is imprisoned there." He pointed at the statue.

Shadow Link stared for a moment, then whirled on the alien Ganondorf, glaring with empty black eyes. "You taunt me? _I,_ the Shadow of the Hero himself?"

"No," Ganondorf said, holding his hand up to stay the wrathful specter. "I show you the task you were summoned for, namely, freeing your true master from his stasis."

"This is folly most supreme," Vaati blurted, throwing up his hands. "Shadow Link can no more take the sword than I can!"

Ganondorf chuckled. Shadow Link stared at him closely when he did that. The moblins cowered and retreated at the sound. _It is a bit chilling,_ Vaati admitted privately. "He cannot _touch_ the Sword, nor the Sword him, at least not without a wielder. That is precisely the point, my dear Wind Mage." Ganondorf strode to the Shadow and stuck his hand through the creature's largely immaterial body. Shadow stared at this strange intrusion with a mix of annoyance and disdain. "He is a true Shadow of the Hero, as I – and my counterpart – originally created." The King of Evil gestured briefly towards the recovering Dalkin. "When Kotake interfered with mine, she tainted it with a soul. It became infected with free will, thoughts...love," he said, spitting it out like a curse. "Such was never the fate of this Shadow. He is almost purely evil in the magical sense, though philosophically that can be debated, for how can something that cannot choose be truly evil?"

"He is the counter of the Hero's choices," Dalkin whispered, eyes wide in horror. "Evil to the Hero's good, a mockery of his nobility. Din, Nayru and Farore. Ganondorf, don't do this."

"You are intangible," Ganondorf continued implacably. "Place your hands _within_ your master, just below the neck, then...push upward, slowly. Too quickly, and you may feel the Blade's sting."

Vaati's eyes widened, though in realization. "That is clever," he admitted reluctantly. Shadow Link nodded and strode over to the 'statue,' obeying. He sank his arms into the stone, driving them in almost to the shoulder. For a moment, it did not seem as if the trick would work; the Master Sword quivered, but held. Then, just as the Hero's Shadow was starting to draw back in pain, the Blade of Evil's Bane rocketed out of the imprisoned Ganondorf's skull, landing at the far corner of the tower with a clatter of metal against stone. In less than three seconds, the stone receded from the wound, revealing a Ganondorf clad in a black robe. He bore long twin blades that had obviously been made for him personally, straight-edged rather than curved in the traditional fashion of the Gerudo scimitar.

After a moment's puzzlement, casting about himself for some understanding of his fate, he made out Shadow Link, Vaati and his other self. Then he chuckled identically to his counterpart and regained his feet. "I...live," he said simply. He looked down at the back of his left hand. There, the symbol of the Triforce glowed, but faintly. "An echo..." At last, he acknowledged the presence of the others. "Shadow Link I recognize as my own. Vaati, however, is long dead, and you are plainly impossible," he said to the conqueror of Twilight. "What strangeness is this?"

"The power of the gods," the visiting Ganondorf replied simply. "I was restored from death itself to serve a dark and terrible goddess. When my service is complete, Hyrule is mine."

The native Ganondorf snarled, raising his blades. "Hyrule belongs to _me,_ invader, not some armored popinjay with my face!"

"Ah, but you, too, will have Hyrule," the 'armored' Ganondorf replied, gesturing around them. "There is more than one reflection of our world. I am native to a land where Hyrule never drowned. The Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny defeated me a thousand years ago..."

One Ganondorf listened to another tell a tale of a parallel legend. Vaati watched impatiently as the restored native returned the favor. _Damn. They're not at each other's throats._ Vaati's eyes narrowed. _I'll have to fix that..._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda watched, forcing her nerves to settle, while her Hero leaned on the railing looking faintly queasy. Oddly, his slightly greenish tinge was attractive, but it was nevertheless a bad sign. "Link? How are you managing?"

"I'm the Hero," he muttered, clutching the railing more tightly. "I shouldn't be seasick, of all things."

"Don't worry," Wind-Link said, trotting up with a friendly, open air. "You'll get used to it. I grew up out here, and this ship made _me_ sick for the first few months."

Light-Link's eyes widened slightly. "...months?"

"On and off," Wind-Link added hastily. Zelda covered her mouth, though she wasn't affected by the movement. _It's not funny, not remotely,_ she thought sternly, but the princess had to hide her smile all the same. "Like I said, you'll get used to it." The lad peered at his fellow Hero for several seconds. "Now, if you need a break, we can ride in the King of Red Lions for a while." Light-Link raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, it's smaller, but for some reason that actually helps. The slow rocking seems worse than choppy waters, at least from what I've noticed."

Tetra looked down from the aft deck and folded her arms. "Keep your eyes on the horizon. It helps. Pay no attention to my Link – he's just weird." Wind-Link facefaulted, and for a moment Zelda almost imagined a giant sweat-drop on the side of his head. "The worse the rocking, the worse the sea-sickness."

"Huh." Samus walked up and examined the Hero of Light with an expert eye. The rocking didn't bother her in the slightest. "This is...new."

Light-Link shrugged, keeping his gaze firmly locked on the horizon. "I've been through rapids on a small canoe, repeatedly. I can swim with Zoras..." His eyes widened, and he looked up. "...swim...with..." He gestured.

Zelda smiled as her Hero's garb swirled for an instant. In an eyeblink, he was garbed in the Zora Armor, glistening scales and golden helm shining in the sun. He stood, took a deep breath, and exhaled in relief. "Fire, Love and Wind. I didn't know if that would work." He looked over to Wind-Link, who was staring in amazement, and blinked. "Uh...Wind-Link?"

"So...cool..." Wind-Link whispered. "Where did you _get_ that?"

Light-Link looked away again, leaning on the railing and staring at the horizon. This time though, Zelda knew, he was lost in thought. "Old friends, long gone," he whispered. Zelda placed a hand on his shoulder. He put his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Tetra leaped down from the aft deck and folded her arms. "Well, maybe they're not so 'long gone' here. Having a Hero who can breathe under water would be pretty helpful to us."

_That...that...she can_ not _be me!_ Zelda fumed. She turned to give Tetra a piece of her mind, but Light-Link put a hand gently on _her_ shoulder, and the princess knew he wanted her to relent. "Do you know," her Hero asked softly, "what a Zora is?"

Wind-Link's excited expression, already fading at the sight of his older counterpart's sorrow, vanished entirely. "They're...gone. We've got Ritos now, but they're different from the Zoras." He shrugged. "They're part bird. I don't think they swim."

"Part...bird." Light-Link grimaced. "No, I can't imagine they would."

Zelda looked over the railing and into the ocean. She filled her eyes with _mana,_ seeing things that light did not reflect. "Even a Zora couldn't swim in that for long. The water is...wrong, somehow."

"Okay, we get it, supernatural ocean, we just _live_ here, thank you," Tetra snapped. "If you're so perceptive, keep a weather eye out...for..." the pirate captain trailed off, staring far past the bow. "...the Tower..."

"...wow," Light-Link gasped. Everyone stared at the great stone pillar rising out of the giant vortex.

"It's magnificent," Zelda said, nodding in agreement. "And look!" She pointed into the maelstrom. "That almost looks like Castle Hyrule!"

"Gods, no," Tetra whispered. Wind-Link practically appeared by her side, and she took the hand he offered almost without noticing. "It's exposed. But – but how?"

Samus sighed. "I have to assume that's bad. The answer, therefore, is obvious."

In unison, the Hunter and the Hero of Light said, "Ganondorf."

As if on cue, a metal longboat rose from the titanic whirlpool, carrying a small contingent of goons, Vaati, Dalkin, Shadow Link and two Ganondorfs. Zelda and Light-Link's Ganondorf turned, spotted them, and waved with a mix of jaunty good humor and mocking triumph. "Dalkin!" Midna cried, bobbing frantically in place.

"Seven Storms!" Tetra snarled. Zelda grimaced at the vulgar oath. "At that rate, they'll be gone before we reach the Tower!" She clenched a fist. "And the wind already fills our sails, this is as fast as we get..."

"It doesn't matter," Midna said with a snarl, clenching her tiny fist in a mirror of Tetra's gesture. "They don't have anywhere to go except that tower. We'll run them to ground there."

A dark gray cloud rolled in from the edge of the horizon. Tetra scowled at it. "Unless there's something in there," she said pointing at the incoming front, "which seems likely, considering it's moving far too quickly, _against the wind."_

Midna glared at the incoming cloud. "Okay, we'll have to go with plan B. So what's behind cloud number one..."

As they watched the cloud approach the Tower, what looked like a giant helmet breached the front. Soon, a cross between a battleship and a dragon was docking with the top of the Tower, after a fashion. Tetra looked at Midna cautiously. "So what's plan B?"

"I levitate the boarding party over," she said simply. "Who's in?"

Zelda's expression went flat. Light-Link's head whirled around in alarm to face the Twilight Princess. "Are you up to that?"

"I'd better be," Midna retorted coolly. _Indeed,_ Zelda thought, hiding her concern behind a placid mask.

"I can probably carry someone," Pit added, soaring up from below decks.

Gonzo thumped up loyally to Tetra. "Um, captain, what about us?"

"You keep things ship-shape while I'm gone," Tetra replied absently. "This shouldn't take long."

Gonzo straightened and saluted. Zuko and Niko groaned, albeit in very different ways. "You can count on me, ma'am!"

With that, Midna landed and braced herself. "Everyone ready?"

Pit offered his hand to Wind-Link, who nodded to the diminutive angel. Everyone else nodded to Midna and readied themselves. The strange boat carrying the villains reached the helmet. "Now," Light-Link said.

Midna formed the great crimson hand above her head and gestured commandingly with it, pushing up at some unseen force. Zelda felt her feet lighten against the deck. Suddenly, the lot of them were flying through the air, rocketing towards the heavily-armed flying ship. _I hope we know what we're doing,_ Zelda thought with concern.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hero of Light, once again wearing his Hero's garb, braced himself, holding his shield aloft, but the expected cannon fire never materialized. _What are they waiting for?_ Light-Link wondered, staring darkly at the vessel.

#The whites of your eyes?# Navi suggested.

Light-Link rolled his eyes. #Unlikely,# he replied.

As one, they thought, #Trap.# The Hero turned to Zelda, or at least as much as their levitation allowed. "Zel, Ganondorf must want us up there." He grimaced. "Well, one of them must, at least."

"We don't have the Triforce any more," Zelda replied, but she was looking down, chin cupped in one hand. "On the other hand, we should have taken fire by now. Maybe the remaining connection is enough..."

"And us with only one Master Sword," Samus muttered.

Tetra brightened. "Hey, but we can change that! You, winged boy," she called, pointing at Pit and the Hero of Winds, "can you get my Link down to the Castle and back up again?"

Pit nodded wearily. "The least I can do, under the circumstances."

"But Tetra, I have the Phantom Sword," Wind-Link noted.

Tetra glared at him. "Yeah, which would be great if Ganondorf were a phantom," she replied bitingly. Wind-Link's head drooped. "Get going, you two!" Pit looked at Wind-Link, who nodded, and the pair dived.

"Well, one consolation," Samus noted evenly, "at least we don't have to point out which Link we mean for a while."

"No. We do, however, have to distinguish between Ganondorfs," Link replied just as calmly.

"I vote...for Tweedledee...and Tweedledum," Midna chuckled through the strain. Samus chuckled as well for some reason.

Link sighed. "This isn't funny. We have two Kings of Evil, a Shadow Link, and Vaati to deal with, a hostage situation, a powerful ship of unknown origin, and a massive army between us and the ringleaders. Even for us, this is a serious situation."

At that, Midna laughed outright, though she sounded hoarse. "You got better...-huff-...names for 'em?" They had almost reached the deck of the huge vessel, but there was a strange whine coming from the ship's rear. Their enemies were nowhere in sight.

"We can figure that out later," Link replied quickly. "We need to land, now."

Midna nodded and concentrated, shoving the heroes through the air faster than ever. The ship slowly detached itself from the Tower and began to turn. The Twilight Princess narrowed her eyes, and with one last shove, heaved her four passengers onto the deck. They all landed unceremoniously just before the ship lurched forward.

_Midna!_ Link realized desperately. He knew from experience she could float along with a moving surface, but she had to orient herself first – and she didn't look as if she had. Reluctantly, he pulled out the Clawshot. #Navi, target the undamaged tine on her helmet!#

#Yow. I hope you know what you're doing,# Navi replied, but she raced through the air to hover above the imp. Samus was summoning a line of energy of her own, and Link jumped over to her side.

As one, they cast their lines out; together, they caught the Twilight Princess and reeled her in scant seconds before the vessel shot away in a stunning burst of speed.

Zelda raised an eyebrow at Tetra. "Hm. How is your Hero going to catch us up?"

"Him?" Tetra waved dismissively in the air. "He always finds a way. Besides, if that angel of yours was your ticket here, he'll manage one way or another." Her face turned grim quickly. "It's worth the risk. We need that Master Sword."

Midna folded her arms. "We already have one. You just wanted to keep him safe."

The pirate whirled on the Twilight Princess, eyes blazing. "Of course I want him safe! You have no idea what he's been through for me already...but I know who he is, _what_ he is, and I'd eat my swords before I'd try to make him something he's not." She jabbed the stunned Midna in the stomach with one finger. "One Master Sword. Two Dragmires. Do – the – _math."_

"That's it," Link blurted. Both women looked at him. "We'll call one Ganondorf, and the other Dragmire." Tetra and Midna slapped their foreheads in perfect synchronicity.

#Perfect distraction,# Zelda noted mentally.

Link shrugged humbly. #I try.# He held out a hand to the pair in a conciliatory way. "Look, what's done is done. Let's work our way through this flying fortress and deal with the situation as it is. If we need Pit and the Hero of Winds, I'm sure they'll find us."

Tetra and Midna looked at each other, then at Link. "Okay," Tetra sighed. "So which one's which?"

The Hero blinked. _Oy. I wasn't serious. Why does everyone think I'm always serious?_

#Because you almost always are?# Navi offered cheerfully.

#Thank you,# Link replied sarcastically. Still, he considered the question honestly, as it had been honestly asked. "I wish I had a decent answer for that, but I don't really know this world's Ganondorf–"

"He's a thief and a brigand and a tyrant," Tetra snapped, "and he likes to carve up his enemies with those two long razors he calls swords. Before Link and I put paid to him, he ravaged the seas and plundered in every direction." She scowled at the aft decks. "He gives pirates a bad name."

Link nodded. "Okay, he's Dragmire. Ours is Ganondorf." The others, except for Zelda, all raised nearly identical eyebrows at him. "Well, the native seems more...classic Gerudo, than ours. Twin-sword style, the raids, the piracy...very much the ocean's equivalent of the desert thieves the original was born to. " The Hero shrugged. "Mind you, the Gerudo of my world have been integrated into Hyrule society for over nine centuries, but they're still proud of their traditions."

"Fine," Midna said coldly, "Fat Tweedle-dee is Dragmire, blunt Tweedle-dum is Ganondorf. Can we start hurting them now? I have a Dark Hero to save."

Link nodded and pointed aft with the Master Sword. "Let's go."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midna hung back while the Hero, princess and captain explored ahead. She kept a close eye on them, but they were far enough ahead that she couldn't quite make out what they were saying...or they, her.

That suited the Twilight Princess nicely. She hovered a bit more closely to the Hunter. "Hey. Samus, right?" The knight nodded. "You too, huh?"

"What..." Samus began evenly. Then she straightened. "...oh," she whispered.

"Look, it's okay," Midna said softly. "Believe me, I know how it is. He's...well, he's Link."

"Finally meet a man who understands without suffering from testosterone poisoning or terminal arrogance," Samus muttered, "and he's about as taken as humanly possible. More."

Midna nodded sympathetically. "Like I said, I've been there. At least we can appreciate what we have of him."

"I'm not some love-struck teenager," Samus replied, her voice more confident this time. "I'm certainly not one of those people who thinks she's incomplete without a spouse." She looked away. "It's just...hard, being alone, sometimes."

"And when you think you've found a friend, or something more..." Midna's eyes dropped. "I figured you'd understand."

Samus nodded again. They were quiet for a while, following the trio of Hylians. "You could try getting along with Tetra, though," the Hunter commented evenly.

The imp wobbled for a moment. _If I hadn't been floating, I'd probably be flat on my face,_ she thought irritably. "Her? That irascible, hot-headed, stubborn..." Midna's eyes widened as she trailed off.

"So which of you are you talking about?" Samus asked dryly. The dry grin was clearly visible through the visor. Midna just floated beside the Hunter and seethed. "Right. Midna, do you know why I like you?" The imp spun in mid-air, staring in surprise at Samus. _"Because_ you're irascible, hot-headed and stubborn. When you face the sorts of things we do, those aren't flaws. As long as you don't let your temper get the better of you, they're assets." She leaned closer while Link examined a door, Zelda watching patiently, Tetra less so. "Besides, as much as I care about Link, sometimes he's a little too perfect."

Midna chuckled before she could stop herself. "Okay, okay, you win," she conceded, waving Samus off, "I'll try making friends with the walking meat slicer." She stopped suddenly when Link waved to them all to quiet down, then listened closely at the door. He held up a fist, then three fingers from it. Samus nodded, as did Zelda (albeit less certainly) after a few seconds. Midna frowned, though her expression smoothed quickly when Samus guided her to one side and gestured at a platform above them. Together, they leaped all but silently up. Tetra and Zelda, meanwhile, padded backwards, then lowered themselves onto a platform below.

Link slapped the door control and held his shield up in preparation. Moblin grunts, space pirate cries, and Primid beeps echoed together. They charged at him, and the Hero fell back, spinning and slicing all the while.

Tetra and Zelda leaped up, the pirate whirling much like the Hero himself, the princess striking with magically-enhanced punches and kicks. Samus curled into a literal ball and rolled down onto the lot, bombs exploding in her wake. Midna, not about to let the others have all the fun, burst into the heart of the mass much like a bomb herself. With a wave of her enormous red hand, she sent the beasts scattering in every direction. "It's too bad you can't change into a wolf any more, Link – we'd really show this bunch a good time then!" she laughed.

Two Primids ran straight at the Hero, their fates predictable as Link skewered both with a quick leap and a downward thrust. "Hm. Farore's Wolf!" he shouted, and his body changed in an instant. He growled something, Navi blinking above him in alarm.

The Twilight Princess gaped for a moment, then gave the Sacred Beast a sly look before leaping aboard. Immediately, their rapport reasserted itself with a little help from the tiny fairy. A circle of energy encompassed over a dozen of their foes, and with a single will, they sent wolf's teeth tearing through all their foes in barely a second. Another batch came at them, and she felt Link's back ripple, as it used to before he changed back. Farore's Knight! he growled, and Midna was so surprised at understanding him that she just barely flew off his back in time. They hit the next wave together, Samus firing on them from one side and Zelda from the other, and Tetra cutting off their escape behind them. The battle was over less than a minute later.

The pirate captain grinned, twirling her blades and sheathing them in one smooth motion. "Ha! Too easy."

Link frowned. "No such thing when you're fighting for your life," he replied grumpily, sheathing his sword.

Flying over to Tetra, Midna bumped her shoulder lightly and grinned, showing one 'delicate' fang. "Don't mind him. He's always like this when he wipes the floor with an army." Tetra boggled, but laughed quickly. Link sighed and shook his head, then met Samus's eyes. Together, they nodded, then strode forward, weapons ready.

Zelda cleared her throat gently. "Any idea what we'll find next? This lot seems to be collected from many worlds."

Samus held up her hand in a gesture of uncertainty. Link merely shrugged. "Who knows?" the Hunter asked rhetorically. "Walking, fanged mushrooms. Dog-sized attack turtles. Vaguely humanoid ink-blots. Living spheres with tiny stubs for arms and legs. Those boxy robots with their strings for arms – Primids, I heard one pirate call them. And none of that brings their leaders into it. Kirby told me once that his greatest rivals are a giant penguin with a mechanized mallet and a sort of vampire-knight with armor, sword, and bat wings...that's otherwise an orb like Kirby. The bouncers' worlds are very, very strange."

"Okay, what's this 'bouncer' and 'hunter' thing?" Midna asked irritably.

"Yeah, they sound like classifications," Tetra added, walking next to the imp with her arms crossed, "but no one bothered to tell us what they mean."

Zelda looked at Samus for a moment. "I think I remember," she said softly, her voice strengthening with her confidence. "'Bouncers' are named after Mario, because they tend to jump around very well – and often use it as a weapon. Their realities are also...well, bouncy. The challenges may be great, but injuries are cosmetic. Their healing makes Hylian magic look crude by comparison. 'Hunters' are named after our lady knight here," she continued, gesturing to Samus, who sighed and nodded with a faint reluctance. "They – well, I suppose that's 'we' – come from worlds we would consider more realistic, and the bouncers often see as grimmer and darker."

"There are shadings," Samus added. "Most of the team considers Hyrule to be hunter territory, but it does have some 'bouncer' elements, its healing and bottled fairies in particular."

Navi chuckled. "I told you last time, Samus, pink fairies like it. As far as they're concerned, it's a free tour of Hyrule, completely safe, and after they're needed the magic just whisks them back home." She hovered over Link's head. "I wonder what Wind-Link's Navi thinks of all this?"

The Hero looked up. "Didn't you ask?"

"We were kinda busy," Navi replied wryly.

"Yeah, you Heroes are a handful," Tetra added with a wink. Midna laughed.

The crash of metal on metal stopped the banter cold. A louder, more powerful burst rocked the entire ship slightly. Link and Samus took one look at each other, then broke into a flat-out run forward. Zelda gasped, grimaced, and cast Farore's Wind to catch up.

Midna and Tetra looked at each other for a moment. "They'll get in trouble without us," the pirate said casually, turning to examine the edge of her cutlass.

"We'd better go keep an eye on them, then," Midna replied in agreement. They burst into motion, chasing after their fellow warriors. _Great. Another mouth to feed,_ the imp thought, one eye on Tetra, though she grinned while they charged.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Link skidded to a halt, gaping. Zelda appeared on a nearby girder, watching dubiously. A gesture transformed her into Sheik, and she melted into the shadows. Samus circled the brawl, keeping her cannon aimed at the battle, though even she seemed thrown by what they'd found.

Two azure figures, one humanoid with cannon-armed armor similar to the Hunter's firing bursts of power, the other a spiky half-animal with mind-blowing speed, fought back to back against a horde of small insect-like robots and a trio of more powerful mechanical creatures. Two looked somewhat like their counterparts. One was like the armored man, though his armor was purple, his helmet didn't show a face, and his cannon was mounted on his shoulder. The other was 'merely' a robot in the shape of the blue buzzsaw, his eyes glowing menacingly. The third, the odd man out of sorts, was a man in black and red armor with a golden "V" on his helmet, and he looked downright furious with the super-fast animal-man.

_I think the pair of blue fighters are the heroes here,_ Link thought, _but we'd better observe for a bit longer before –_

"YAAAH!" Tetra and Midna roared as one, slashing and blasting through the wasp-robots with wild, joyous abandon. Link sighed and loped forward, sword poised to strike.

"More foolish interlopers," the purple-armored figure said, his voice deep and menacing. His cannon whirled to target Midna. "Die." The blue-armored hunter gasped and leaped in between the weapon and the imp. The Hero's cautious advance became a burst of speed, and the Master Sword knocked the cannon askew and left an impressive dent in its side. _Well. That settles that._

The tide of battle turned quickly. Sheik appeared on the back of Link's foe, chain wrapped around the vile knight's neck. Samus opened fire on the robot replica of the speedster, who dodged her cannon blasts – right into a missile barrage. Tetra was already past the wasps and was angling towards the last remaining elite foe, who started throwing boomerangs in alarming numbers with astounding speed. Tetra was forced to slow down so she could cut the boomerangs out of the air.

Their two new allies looked at each other in surprise, smiled in very different ways, and joined the counterattack. The armored character fired a blast at the quick boomerang-wielder, while the speedster raced towards his metallic counterpart and turned into an almost literal buzzsaw. The fight looked as if it would be over in seconds.

"Incompetent foolsss," a menacing voice hissed from above. Samus' head snapped up immediately. "Never send a robot to do a pirate's job."

"Ridley," Samus whispered. Link could hear the fury – and the deep pain behind it – despite her quiet tone.

"And what's wrong with robots?" the blue-armored hero quipped, pointing his cannon at the incoming monster and opening fire. His slight grin vanished when Ridley simply absorbed the blasts with a few grunts and landed almost on top of Samus. The Hunter had already rolled into her Morph Ball and started leaving bombs for her draconic foe.

The battle turned into a mad free-for-all at that point. The Hero could just barely keep up with aiding allies in need for a time, as every possible combination of hero battling villain occurred within a handful of minutes. He traded blows with the rocket-powered speedster-replica and boomerangs with the machine-man, blocked blaster fire from the purple foe, and went sword-to-claw with Ridley. Link soon learned the names of their new allies and foes: the blue armored hero was Rock, whom Quick Man (the eponymously named boomerang wielder) mocked by calling him "Mega Man X;" the super-fast animal-man was Sonic, apparently a highly mutated hedgehog. The robot duplicate was, prosaically, simply "Metal Sonic."

Finally, Link found himself facing the violet knight, who had proudly called himself "the _reploid_ Vile" while shooting scathing glares at Metal Sonic and especially Quick Man. "I will crush you, little organic," he intoned self-importantly, jets flaring behind his elbow as he threw a blazing punch at the Hero. Link blocked it with his shield, ignoring the bone-rattling impact as best he could. "You cannot hide behind that piece of tin forever!"

An explosion shook the entire massive chamber. "He doesn't have to," Rock replied, striding through the glowing, rapidly fading remains of Quick Man. His armor turned red-violet, and his cannon shot boomerangs out at Link's foe. The Hero joined in with a thrust that punctured the villain's armor.

Ridley stumbled back from another burst of Hunter's cannon fire. "This isn't working. Fall back," the dragon snarled furiously. The surviving trio of enemies fled, Metal Sonic carrying Vile while Ridley simply soared out of sight.

"And don't come back, you murderer," Samus said through gritted teeth. "Not that I don't know better..."

Rock looked at the Hunter with concern. "Are you all right, ma'am?"

Samus waved him off. "I'm fine. Ridley and I have...history. That's all."

"I know what you mean," the heroic reploid sighed, following her gaze up.

"Vile is an appropriate name for that thing," Link added, leaning on his knees and exhaling in relief. Zelda walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking at him with concern. The Hero looked up and smiled. "I felt those punches even through the shield, but I'm okay."

Zelda nodded, then watched their enemies escape through a hatch far above. "What in the name of the gods are we facing here?"

The Hero had no answer to that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ganondorf strode toward the command center, Vaati at his heels. His local counterpart was already headed for the shuttle dock, while Shadow Link was joining with others of his ilk, the many and varied duplicates of the various heroes arrayed against them.

' _Us.' Indeed,_ the Gerudo king thought dismissively. Aside from the divine power that bound them together, Ganondorf saw very little common purpose in their gathering of monarchs and mad sages.

As if on cue, the Koopa King's voice echoed from Ganondorf's command center. "The time has come, minions!" Bowser boasted. Two absurd voices snickered in response. "I'm serious here! Half our enemies are on this ridiculous boat. _Half._ If we crush them, we crush Mario's Smashers with 'em! Follow me into battle, and–"

Ganondorf opened the door with a gesture. Bowser froze in mid-rant, clawed hand poised in the air. Doctors Robotnik and Wily were equally paralyzed in mid-chuckle, eyes wide in terror. "He's right behind me, isn't he?" the Koopa King sighed. Ganondorf confirmed Bowser's suspicions by telekinetically throwing him into a wall, where his spikes kept him stuck. "Wha – HEY! Get me down from here, ya costume party reject!"

"You are in a poor position for making demands, 'Your Majesty,'" Ganondorf replied dryly, striding to his command chair and lounging in it as if it were his throne. _That it is, at least for the moment,_ he mused, noting that the two sages of robotics had retreated into a corner, where they trembled in all-too-appropriate fear. _How can such genius be wedded to such incompetence?_

Bowser's absurd features, the same mix of turtle and dragon as the rest of him, grew the sudden cunning that marked the would-be conqueror as more than just a joke. "Yeah? Well, my army's the size of the rest of yours combined, so if you want the numbers, you play by Koopa rules, got it?"

_I was wondering when he would attempt this gambit,_ Ganondorf thought, gesturing at the air before them. A Light image of Bowser formed. "All right, you useless Goombas, listen up!" it barked. The real Koopa King gaped. "You march on Outset Island at sunrise, or you all end up as pizza toppings, got it?"

Ganondorf smiled coolly at the plumber's nemesis. Bowser gaped. "I doubt your lackeys will be able to tell the difference, but I must admit to some curiosity, so by all means, continue your defiance." Vaati laughed. Bowser's head drooped in defeat. Again the King of Evil gestured, freeing the reptilian titan with a _pop_ and a _thud._ Ganondorf waved dismissively.

"One day, you posturing primate, I'm gonna catch you without that gold bangle you stole," Bowser muttered as he slunk toward the door, "and it's gonna be a very different story."

For a moment, Ganondorf considered responding to the creature, but quickly decided that it would be beneath him to notice the disgruntled mutterings of such a minion. Just as Bowser opened the door, a reptilian figure strode forward, outrage written in every line of its deep purple body. The Koopa King yelped and leaped back. "Ridley! What happened?"

"The Hunter," Ridley hissed, "what else? Move," he snarled, and Bowser did, but the broader reptile glared at the thinner, winged form as the pirate lord entered the chamber. Ganondorf gestured, and the door closed. Ridley's eyes locked on to Wily. "You," he hissed, and Wily ducked behind the trembling Robotnik. "You said your robots were the equal of their later counterparts."

"I can explain," Wily pleaded. Robotnik realized what was happening and scrambled out of the way. The King of Evil wasn't sure whether to laugh or groan.

"Explain to Sigma," Ganondorf said, making a snap decision. He gestured at Wily, who had just enough time to begin a scream before vanishing. Robotnik pressed his obese form into the corner more desperately than ever. "You have charge of the lesser machines now, Robotnik, as you wished. Do not fail me." Robotnik bowed frantically, his incoherent babbling assuring the dread monarch that he'd made his point, and the mad sage fled.

Ridley grimaced at the door after the surviving sage had fled. "They were being stupid again, weren't they?" he asked dryly, tone and stance indicating Bowser as well as the robot-makers.

"One cannot expect such creatures to be any more than they are," Ganondorf sighed. "I remind myself that each has its talent, or She would not desire their presence." He regarded Ridley thoughtfully. "Be wary. None of them are entirely as foolish as they appear, King Bowser most particularly. He may decide that second in command is an acceptable stepping stone."

Ridley snorted. "Let him. He would make a suitable target for my frustration." He locked eyes with the King of Evil. "I need better agents. The Hunter is troublesome enough alone. With the Hero and his allies, she is virtually unstoppable...and Sigma's nemesis is nearly her equal."

At that, Ganondorf chuckled in his usual manner. "That seems unlikely."

"I tire of your gender bias," Ridley grumbled, gesturing at one of the monitors. On it, Mario was protecting Princess Peach from a pack of Hammer Brothers. "Many of these men are the equal of the greatest woman warriors. You yourself–"

"I am Gerudo," Ganondorf rumbled, straightening. "My gender is irrelevant."

"So are theirs," Ridley hissed. "You think it matters what set of chromosomes that Hero of yours is born with? This...this replicant, this 'Mega Man X,' must be eliminated."

Ganondorf considered the matter carefully. _For all his treachery, Bowser's insight was legitimate. Our enemies' numbers on this ship are too few to truly endanger us, but great enough to cripple their alliance should we destroy them._ He cupped his chin in one hand and tapped his armrest with the other. "Take Sigma, Vaati, and whatever lesser forces you desire. I will ask Dark Samus to hunt them as well."

Ridley snarled violently enough that solar flames licked around his beak. "Ask? You do not _ask_ the rest of us!" The pirate flexed his talons furiously. Ganondorf was suddenly reminded of how close Ridley had come to defeating him in their duel for command.

"The duplicates all follow her," Ganondorf explained with a deeper sigh than ever, "and our mistress has granted the Dark Hunter considerable autonomy. Only that bloated freak 'Wario' heeds her reluctantly. Even Shadow Link might obey her rather than my counterpart."

Ridley snarled again, though in far more subdued annoyance and sympathy. "Hrm. I understand. Often, Mother Brain would make similar, unfathomable decisions. Are you forbidden from bringing her to heel?" Ganondorf nodded, saying nothing. "Ah. Well. For now, then, we hunt the hunters. What choice do we have?" the dragon-man finished bitterly, and strode for the door.

Ganondorf considered attempting to salve the great warrior's wounded pride, but quickly thought the better of it, letting Ridley leave without another word. _What could I say? We are all long since dead without Her._ With that, he entered the meditative state he'd learned so long ago. That, along with his powerful sorcery, were all he retained from the teachings of his 'mothers.'

#Speak,# the Holy One intoned in his mind.

#The others grow restless, Your Holiness,# Ganondorf replied respectfully. His mental image bowed to the crimson eye-shapes floating in the toxic green mist. Beyond that image, all was blackness in the astral void. #Bowser desires supremacy as a substitute for respect. Robotnik is insane. The Dark Hunter is uncooperative. Sigma views us all as organics to be eliminated when we outlive our usefulness. Andross has left to sulk on his asteroid. Ridley grows increasingly frustrated at our agents' ineffectiveness, and his frustration is justified at least in part. Vaati, however, is most problematic. His perverted desire for Zelda may ruin all.#

The crimson orbs became thin slashes of light in the poisoned dark. #So long as he performs his duty, Vaati's desire is not your concern. Should the princess survive your procedure, she is his.#

Ganondorf's head snapped up. #What?#

#Do you defy me?# the omnipresent voice whispered with deadly calm. A wave of weakness swept over the Gerudo, and for a moment he felt almost insubstantial. #Will you reject the great honor I have given you over the thought of mere indignities? Indiginities performed upon one of your greatest enemies?#

#The Wind Mage intends...# Even in the unreality of astral space, Ganondorf felt short of breath. He inhaled deeply, even knowing it was an illusion. #...intends more than mere indignities against Princess Zelda, Your Holiness.#

The blood-colored gaze went colder than Snowpeak. #I find it insulting that you care. You will have Hyrule, King of 'Evil,' and the power of a god. Do not throw those rewards away out of misguided honor.# The connection severed instantly, and Ganondorf sucked in a shocked breath when he realized he was in his body again. His fingers had pressed indentations into the metal of the armrests.

His concentration, and worse, his once-unwavering focus, were in tatters. _What price a birthright?_ Ganondorf wondered, unsure if he felt sadness or anger. He had no experience with guilt, but long study made him wonder if the emotion had found him at last. _What price victory?_

For the first time, the Gerudo King had no answers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Made it," Pit gasped, dropping Wind-Link a bit more suddenly than he'd intended. They'd only been a foot above the tower roof, though the angel still seemed unhappy about it. Link watched his newfound friend land rather suddenly himself, taking long, deep breaths while shaking out his wings.

"You okay, Pit?" the Hero of Winds asked, examining Pit carefully. _Who knows what fatigue is to an angel, though?_ young Link wondered.

The divine guardian nodded, clearly recovering quickly. His eyes refocused in seconds, his breathing normal even before that. "I'm fine. Just needed a chance to rest." He pointed at the center of the roof. "And look, there it is!"

Link swallowed. Indeed, there was the Master Sword, but it was simply lying there, with no sign of Ga – of Dragmire. _I know we saw him,_ he thought with concern, _but still..._ The Hero started walking over to the Blade of Evil's Bane. It felt odd, reclaiming the Sword after so many years, but there could be no question of the need.

A shriek Link remembered from long ago sent a chill up the Hero's spine. The sound of scuttling insect legs had him running for the Blade, but before he could reach it, his enemy was there – the massive Magtail Queen, Gohma, landed on the rooftop, body crouched protectively over the Master Sword. It was once again fully armored, though Link hoped the Blade of Evil's Bane could penetrate the stony hide.

Behind him, Pit gasped. "Of course. 'When the scorpion and the centipede meet to guard the bane, it is time to tell the Hero all.' I have so much to tell you..."

Link nodded. "I want to hear that, but can it wait for just a minute?"

The hum of a bowstring echoed behind him. It reverberated with the power of mana itself, and the Hero of Winds could feel as much as hear its magic flaring to life. The Gohma watched this warily. "Of course," Pit said evenly, with his voice strong and confident. It was a pleasant contrast to his previous sorrow. "The eye is its weak point, I presume?" Link nodded. A flare of blue and white Light pierced Gohma's single eye immediately, and the monster recoiled. The Hero summoned the Hookshot and pulled the Master Sword to his hand. He banished the Hookshot a split second before the weapon reached him, holding out his hand. The hilt struck his palm, and with that, the Power to Repel Evil was his once more.

As magnificent as the Phantom Sword was, it always felt eerie, unearthly in his hand. Even three years later, the Master Sword felt...right. He readied himself, hefting the Mirror Shield with determination – then stared in shock.

Pit was taking Gohma apart. He seemed to be everywhere at once. The angel soared above the massive creature and rained arrows on it one moment, then dove under it and spun his blades to carve a great gash in the monster's armor the next. A darting flash to the thing's left sliced off one leg. Pit arced over the creature and cut into one massive arm's elbow on its right. "Link, the underbelly! I should have left enough of a gash for you to – yipe!" He barely evaded a claw slash that cut through a long swath of air above them. Ganondorf's Light glyphs glowed ominously.

The Hero of Winds nodded and ran beneath the beast without hesitation. It lunged for Pit, oblivious to the Hero beneath – its final mistake. Link thrust upward with all his strength and speed, driving the Blade into the monster all the way to the hilt.

Gohma's death scream was worse than the sound that had announced its arrival. It thrashed, convulsing into the air, then slamming down. Link barely protected himself with his shield, but even then, the impact _hurt._ The Magtail Queen shuddered and died.

"Link!" Pit cried from somewhere above him. He heard bursts of power strike the body, but didn't feel their impact. Then, after a few moments, Gohma disintegrated, freeing a very relieved Hero. "Thank Parthena! Are you all right?"

Link nodded and smiled. "You said something about an explanation?" he said, though he groaned slightly when he straightened. _Tetra's going to give me an earful for those bruises._

At that, Pit laughed. "You're the Hero, all right. I'll fill you in on the way." He held out his hand.

"No, you need a little longer to rest," Link insisted, waving Pit back. He winced when the muscles in his shoulder objected. "For that matter, so do I," he added, rolling his shoulder and hearing the muscles pop in place.

Pit shook his head, smiling. "Not a problem. I can transport us through the gap between dimensions." The smile vanished. "I'm not sure what the landing will be like, though. The only 'marker' I have is the rest of our group, and they're on a moving ship."

"Don't worry," Link replied, summoning the Wind Waker. "I'll just call my friend Cyclos instead." He lifted the baton.

The glyphs of Light shattered. The waters rushed in at them. "Do it quickly," Pit gasped.

_Seven Storms!_ Link thought in horror. He moved the baton to command the Winds, and time slowed as it always did. He measured out the beats in short order, and the great Wind God appeared above them. Storm and sea roared around them as time resumed. "Quick, grab hold!" Link shouted, holding out his hand.

Pit complied, catching Link's hands in his own and shooting straight up. The mighty whirlwind caught them both and drew them into the sky. The pair found themselves unceremoniously deposited on the shore of Outset Island less than a minute later, Cyclos' laughter echoing around them for a moment after he vanished.

"Well." Pit coughed up a bit of sand. "That was closer than I would have liked."

Link nodded, slowly returning to his feet and offering Pit a hand. The angel accepted, and they looked around. "No kidding. I didn't expect to be home again so soon." He looked at Pit. "Now, about that explanation–"

"Big BROTHER!" Aryll cried out joyfully, running down the beach toward him. For some reason, she was accompanied by a taller, thinner woman in blue. Strangely, aside from the sizes, she looked very much like Link's sister. "Back already?"

Link shook his head, though he couldn't help a grin. "In a few minutes, okay?" Pit nodded. _I really wish I knew what was going on,_ the Hero thought all the same.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Light-Link padded quietly forward. He was no Sheikah – Zelda had gone ahead as Sheik to scout for them – but when the farms did poorly and Ordon was low on goats, one's skill as a hunter was the difference between a full stomach and a grumbling one. He glanced back at Samus, then moved forward in a crouch. _They have Dragmire,_ the Hero thought, crushing his frustration beneath a conceptual Iron Boot. _Why are they still here? What's in this Hyrule that they want?_

The Hero shook his head, forcing his mind into clarity. _There are yet enemies ahead of us, right here. Larger mysteries will wait._

Sheik appeared in a gentle burst of air and smoke. #Voices ahead,# she sent quietly. #Strange ones.#

Link nodded, then focused on Navi. #Pass the word back.# The fairy roused herself, nodded, and flew to the others. He glanced at Sheik. #Enemies?#

Sheik shrugged. #Not sure. I didn't dare get too close. I felt I was being – watched! Above!# She vanished, and Link held his shield up, scanning the ceiling.

He caught just a hint of an outline before Sheik appeared above the spy. It was apparently a man, and when he leaped away from Sheik, Link saw that he wore a blue-gray bodysuit, much like a Sheikah. "Hey, Luigi," he called out, his voice gravelly and sarcastic, "I think I found your friends." He jumped down, Sheik following smoothly. They watched each other warily.

Comical footsteps raced towards them, each footfall accompanied by a faint bouncing sound. The figure in green came to a screeching halt in front of the Hero, the small army accompanying them racing up behind them. "Link?" Luigi gasped. Link nodded. "Mama _mia!"_

"I think you have some explaining to do," Samus drawled. Luigi's head drooped.

Link glanced back. "Easy, Samus," he said quietly. The Hunter shrugged and folded her arms.

Sheik gestured, and Zelda appeared in her place. Ignoring the male 'Sheikah' staring in goggle-eyed shock (and admiration, forcing Link to keep himself from gritting his teeth), she turned to Luigi. "Noble warrior, as you can see, we are not the heroes you once knew." She gestured to Link and herself. "Have you some idea how this happened?"

The diminutive plumber, a touch shorter than the Hero of Winds, shook his head. "Something has gone terribly wrong. Time has gone'a crazy between the dimensions, especially around Hyrule!"

Link grunted. "That...makes sense, actually. Between the Triforce and the Ocarina, it seems likely that the ripples from my predecessor's battles have affected our larger connections."

"Like our world's bond to Tetra's Great Ocean," Zelda added.

Luigi took his hat off and rubbed his head. "Tetra?" he asked.

"Me," the pirate said bluntly, coming around Link to practically appear in front of Luigi. The plumber yelped and leaped back. His friend chuckled in the same sardonic tone. "You mind telling me what you people have done to my world?"

"It's'a not my fault!" Luigi blurted. "Whoever's behind Ganondorf's return and stealing the _Halberd_ wanted your dimensions cut off more than anyone's!" He looked at his taller, muscular partner. "Tell them, Snake!"

'Snake' shrugged. "It's all kinda complicated, even to me," he said, and Luigi swallowed, "but from what I've been able to piece together, they want some magical doo-dad from your worlds. The Triforce. They wanted to make sure no one could help you until it was too late." He pointed at Luigi. "It didn't quite work, even if there are...complications."

"What complications?" Tetra demanded. Snake eyed her with a very different admiration than he had Zelda. _Well, she is several years younger,_ Link thought, relieved. "I've got two Ganondorfs and a whole army of freaks and monsters on _my_ ocean, and I want to know what in Nayru's name is going on!"

A man almost entirely in blue, right down to his hair, came around the corner and stared in shock at the gathered group. "Link?" he asked quietly. "You look...dark."

"Marth?" Samus asked, her voice faint.

Luigi pointed emphatically at Marth and looked at Tetra. "Like'a that! He's from the same world and age as the Hero of Time!"

"Wait, what?" Marth looked from Link to Luigi, his concern increasing. "Are you saying he's _not_ the Hero of Time?"

"This is Link," Zelda explained, "Hero of Light. He saved the worlds of Light and Shadow from Zant and his master, Ganondorf." Midna waved with her hair, smiling wryly. "It is an honor to meet the great Marth il'Anri, Lord of the Fire Emblem and King of Altea."

"I danced at your wedding," Marth said, voice whisper-quiet.

"A thousand years ago," Zelda replied evenly. The beorc king swayed. "Though things...changed...between Hyrule and Altea, you are remembered even in my time as one of the greatest monarchs the continent has ever known."

"At least we don't have to worry about the Triforce," Link cut in quickly. He held up his left hand, making a fist. The symbol of the Triforce glowed ghost-like. "We're still connected to them, but we don't actually bear the pieces anymore."

"Me neither," Tetra added.

"Why would you have a piece of the Triforce?" Luigi asked, looking genuinely curious.

Tetra looked away, suddenly abashed. "She's the reincarnation of this world's Zelda," Midna explained. "Not that she's the dress-wearing type." The imp winked at the pirate, who grinned back. _That was fast,_ Link thought wryly. _Moods that shift faster than the winds here, both of them._

Luigi looked at them carefully. "Really? You know, I think this is starting to make'a sense." He looked at Marth, who looked back and nodded.

"It is?" Zelda asked, blinking. Link knew how she felt. "I may not be the Princess of Destiny, but I am the Keeper of Wisdom, and I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

Marth bowed. "Allow me to explain, most noble princess," he said smoothly. Luigi shifted slightly in place at that. "Five years ago, by our reckoning, the...Smash Brothers," he began, mouth twisting at the absurdity of the name, "had its last real crisis. We thought a villain named Andross was threatening us again, but it was in fact Dark Link." He nodded towards Tetra. "This world's Dark Link."

Tetra scowled. "This world's?"

Marth nodded. "So I gather, given your worlds' connection. This was long before whatever disaster flooded your land. The Zelda of this world was still working to rebuild after seven years of Ganondorf's rule, and her Hero was a lad of but eleven. He was kidnapped by the living Shadow crafted in the Hero's image."

"Oh, so you mean Shadow Link, then," Zelda put in.

Marth sighed. "Ah. Yes. Dark Link, flesh and blood; Shadow Link, disembodied. At any rate, the adult Link and the two Zeldas went to his rescue, and succeeded, if barely. Shadow Link had formed an alliance of evil replicas, a sort of dark Smashers. From what I gather, he'd intended to sacrifice Young Link to turn him into a Dark Link of flesh and blood, one who could free his foul master." Link and Zelda frowned in unison.

"I still don't get what this has to do with me," Tetra grumbled.

"The Zelda of this world," Marth continued gently, "no longer truly thought of herself by that name. Seven years spent almost entirely as Sheik had made that very much her identity, and Zelda was the mask she wore to serve her people." Tetra grimaced at this, but nodded as if she understood.

#He's right,# Navi added, dumbstruck. #It really does make sense. Well, except for the flooding.#

"That still doesn't explain the time gap," Zelda noted gently.

"Why this specific time, I do not know," Marth replied, "but why your two worlds – our two worlds – are bound together, I can explain. Link once told me during a dark tale of souls and swords that he wasn't 'truly' from our world, nor Young Link from his. Zelda 'returned him to his youth,' a gift that caused Time itself to divide in two."

Tetra gasped. "Oh no. Oh, no, no, no." She clutched her head. "No! I don't..." she squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want to remember..."

Link appeared at her side, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently. "It's all right. Hold on. It all turned out all right."

"No it didn't!" Tetra cried. "I was reborn, I was ten...and the Hero...time was all wrong." She sobbed. "The Hero was three when Ganon came. Everyone thought the Hero had abandoned us, but it was my fault. Time was all wrong, and the Hero was too young to stop him." Tetra looked away. "That was five hundred years ago."

Link dropped to one knee and looked Tetra firmly in the eyes. She met his gaze reluctantly. "Maybe things went wrong once," he insisted, "but at least there's a free world to set right. Your flood may have been a high price to pay, but it's better than the alternative." Deep in the back of the Hero's mind – perhaps in his very soul – he felt a bond with this woman. The Zelda he knew, the world of Ordon and Twilight and a Hyrule that sprawled across the land, that was his home now, but once upon a time he and Tetra had fought the King of Evil together. "You and your Hero are of an age now. You can do this."

Tetra wiped the tears away with a ferocious swipe of her sleeve. "Crying like some stupid girl..." she muttered. "Yeah, I'm better now," she insisted, putting her hands on her hilts. "Let's go kick Dragmire's fat butt so we can all go home."

"It's not'a that simple," Luigi said nervously. "I mean, besides that your worlds are linked –" everyone groaned at that "–the Triforce being'a gone from all of you in both worlds, at about the same 'time,' must be why we're here. Now. You know what I mean, right?" he asked, raising an uncertain eyebrow.

Link gave Tetra's hand one more squeeze, then stood and nodded to Luigi. "Yes. That makes sense. The return of the Triforce to the Sacred Realm must have restored some balance to it. That's what it felt like when we went through there, at least." Luigi's eyes bulged, but the little plumber said nothing. "The one thing I don't understand, though, is why Ganondorf is still looking for something here. Wind-Link is at Castle Hyrule, and the rest of us are in..." he looked around them.

"Villain central," Tetra quipped.

The Hero grinned. "Exactly." The grin vanished and he folded his arms. "Yet one look out a porthole, and it's clear we're headed somewhere with a will."

"Then we need to stop this thing from heading anywhere," Snake rumbled. "We should split up. One team hits the engine room, the rest of us head for the control room. Either way, we should be able to stop this ship cold."

Luigi danced in place in agitation. "Oh, Metaknight's not gonna like that."

"He shouldn't have let his ride get boosted, then," Snake said ruthlessly. "I figure the locals should hit the control room – you too, Luigi, they'll need someone who knows the layout – while the rest of us head toward the rear. I know a few things about demolition." He smiled a wolf's smile.

"Not bad," Samus agreed, "except the forward team should have more than just one technically oriented team member, not to mention firepower."

Snake shrugged. "Whatever. You, blue guy," he said, pointing at Rock, who started in surprise and pointed at himself in amazement. Link realized that he and his equally blue ally had been uncharacteristically speechless during the explanation. "You're with them. Hey, Tetra, you look pretty handy with a blade, and my team could use another up-close and personal type. You in?"

Tetra began to nod, but Zelda put her hand on her counterpart's shoulder and shook her head. "If I may suggest? It seems likely that you will run into many more robots in that direction, and between his enemies' comments and his skill in battle, Sir Rock is a master of battling such automata. Also, explosions and engines don't mix, not while we are on this vessel at any rate." She looked at Midna with open sympathy. "Finally, I suspect that prisoners would be held toward the rear. Snake should come with us, while Midna joins the saboteurs."

Snake glanced between Samus and Zelda and grumbled to himself, but said nothing else. Link shrugged and smiled apologetically at the Sheikah-like warrior. "Keeper of Wisdom," he said simply.

"Ehh, if you're that soft-hearted, you're gonna need babysitting," Snake replied in his rasping voice.

Samus laughed dryly. "I'd hardly call wanting to not explode 'softhearted,'" she quipped. She clapped Mega Man on the shoulder. "How are you with mechanics?"

"Not bad," Rock said modestly.

"Good. Let's go," Link said simply, and started walking forward.

"My kinda guy," Sonic quipped. "Too much talking, not enough smashing." The teams split up, Link hoping as they went their separate ways that they'd done the right thing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda felt a strange deja vu about their group. Luigi's mention of Link, Sheik and herself – or at least, her past self – questing together to rescue the younger Hero had sent memories bubbling to the surface. She remembered old fears returning, fear of losing Link to his shadow-self, to his first love, to duty. She remembered feeling inadequate compared to the formidable Sheik, who had survived seven years on the run whereas the Princess of Destiny had grown up in Castle Hyrule. She remembered a terrible battle with a Shadow Link that had seemed omnipresent and invincible, all in a mockery of the Great Temple.

_None of those are me,_ she thought firmly. _The Princess of Destiny returned to the Wheel long ago. Together, the Hero of Light and I can overcome any challenge. Wind-Link is clearly in love with Tetra, and my Link feels nothing more or less than compassion for a very old friend, much changed. The only things to fear in this place are Ganondorf's agents, and it is they we must concern ourselves with._ Much to her relief, when Zelda looked at her counterpart, she felt no hint of anger or jealously, just a faint annoyance that there was some part of her in Tetra...and Tetra in her. _Well, perhaps a touch of envy,_ she forced herself to admit. The thought of having no responsibilities save for one ship and crew, the Hero by her side, exploring a world where a single ship could take you anywhere...it was an enticing notion.

_It is also very much not who I am._ Zelda had never wanted to be anything other than what she was, even when she had wished for different circumstances. Her eyes flickered to the Hero once more. He was up front with Luigi. She couldn't help but smile at the incongruous pair, the 'Mean Green Machine' as the plumber had dubbed them. _I have difficulty imagining two people less mean than they,_ she mused. Link watched warily while Luigi examined their surroundings, looking for some hint of their purpose, no doubt. The wide brass and steel corridors didn't seem to provide the quirky hero with any clues, aside from the tubing he followed erratically.

"It's been too long since we ran into any real opposition," Link said with concern. He twirled the Master Sword nervously. "I don't like it."

"Hey, I'd'a call those Primids pretty real," Luigi retorted, hunching down a bit and looking around. "That Koopa patrol wasn't much fun either."

"He's right," Zelda and Tetra said in perfect time, Snake nodding before he realized what had happened. The cognates looked at each other resignedly. Snake chuckled. "Ganondorf must have more than foot soldiers looking for us. Ridley wasn't happy about our earlier success, either."

"Ridley?" Luigi blurted. "You ran into Ridley?"

"Yesss," a familiar voice hissed at them from far down the corridor, and Luigi screamed, "and I've been hoping for a rematch!" He strode forward. Link stepped between the space pirate and the rest of the team. He took a step back when Vaati strode up behind the dragon-man. He backpedaled further when an eight foot tall bald man, wielding a burning sword of Light, joined them.

"I think we're in trouble," Link whispered back.

Snake grinned more wolfishly than before. "You worry too much." He leaped into the shadows and girders above them and vanished. Zelda crushed the temptation to follow, instead striding up to Link. The Hero stopped retreating when he realized Zelda was to his right and Tetra was on his left. Luigi was sliding around beside them, strange green fire cupped between his hands. His legs were shaking, but the plumber was standing with them.

"No, he doesn't," Vaati said with a sneer. "You other three, you can leave and live. We just want the princess...and her Hero." The bald titan's body rippled with annoyance. "Well, Sigma here wants to crush your bones to powder and the like, but he's like that." The Wind Mage added a sadistic grin to his sneer.

"The Hunter's heart will break," Ridley said to Link, flames licking hungrily from his beak, "when I bring her your ravaged, ruined form."

"We need to go somewhere nicer for our next date," Zelda quipped.

Link hefted his shield and shifted his stance, readying himself for the attack. "You wanted to come," he replied evenly, though she could feel his concern for her.

"Oh, I wouldn't have missed it," she agreed. "Next time, though, candles and moonlight."

Sigma leaned forward, baring his 'teeth' and hefting his Light sword. Then he grinned and snapped his fingers. A small horde of automata came running towards them from the front of the ship. "Let's see how your wit survives this, pathetic humans!" He laughed maniacally.

"Insane robots. Again," Snake sighed. He hefted a small cannon that looked like a much more advanced version of Auru's. "Why me?"

Sigma raced forward in a blur. Link parried him with a shift of his stance and a twist of his blade. The Hero's eyes locked with Sigma's, then widened, and he ducked behind his shield just before deadly bursts of Light shot from the reploid's gaze. Ridley roared and flew up and over them. Zelda threw a blast of fire at him, then Tetra leaped up to slash at the creature. Snake added cannon fire for good measure, then the machine-men were upon them and all was chaos.

For a few moments, the princess managed with relative ease. A few bursts of support fire forced Sigma to retreat from Link's assault, and a few uses of Nayru's Love kept the drones at bay. Then Vaati teleported almost literally on top of her, his elongated Reborn shape filled with power and malice. "Mine!" he howled, diving with hands grasping for her like twisted hawk's talons. Zelda barely evaded, then fed him a burst of Din's Fire for good measure. He grimaced, then shook his head, small winds putting out the fires on his face. _Oh dear,_ she thought, weighing his newfound power carefully. _At least twice the sorcerous strength he had in our last encounter. This is bad._ The Keeper of Wisdom fell back slowly, hoping to unite with one of the others and work more as a team.

That seemed unlikely. Tetra and Snake were managing with Ridley and the horde of Primids that followed the villain, but just barely. Link had locked swords again with Sigma, whose deadly gaze had apparently expended its mana reserve. Luigi was fighting hordes of foot soldiers, throwing his strange green fireballs and shooting himself like a rocket, but he seemed reluctant to engage any of the enemy leaders. Zelda sympathized.

Nevertheless, she felt a satisfaction that she deemed inappropriate in forcing the stalker back on her own. _Who defeats whom is not important. Teamwork and victory are all that matter._ The princess was determined not to lose anyone in this battle. All the same, when she kicked Vaati hard enough to send him sprawling, Zelda couldn't quite keep the smile from forming. "No," she replied simply. _"Not_ yours, now or ever."

Vaati screamed, and for a moment, serpentine coils of toxic green power flickered around him. She had only seen it for a moment, and then with only her mana sight, but the image seemed a clue of some sort. "Link, we need to help one another!"

Her Hero nodded, summoned the Iron Boots, and traded shield for Clawshot. He fired behind him, apparently without aiming, but Zelda caught sight of a tiny yellow orb above Ridley's head just before the claw caught the monster's wing. The Hero yanked the villainous pirate from the air. "Pass it on!" he shouted.

"You got it!" Tetra replied emphatically, charging to Zelda's aid. "Lousy arrogant dragon, giving pirates a bad name – SEI-YAH!" The princess' younger cognate spun-slashed at Vaati who retreated a bit. Zelda teleported to Vaati's right, incidentally throwing several Primids in every direction from her arrival's burst of force. Snake threw a small bomb at Sigma; the automaton's Light sword did not block the explosion, but neither did the blast seem to harm the villain.

"Much better," Zelda whispered. Then her heart froze at Vaati's gaze piercing Tetra with a cunning she feared was recognition.

The Wind Mage didn't help her fear with his next action, stalking carefully towards the captain and firing beams of power at her. Tetra deflected them with her twin scimitars, each glittering golden with a familiar power. "Aren't you an interesting one, young warrior? Clad in azure, proud of your role and skills...yes, there is something familiar about you."

"What, you just figured out _now_ that I used to be Zelda?" Tetra laughed mockingly. "Pig-boy didn't tell you?" The princess gritted her teeth, but her cognate seemed to have the situation in hand. When Vaati raged and fired his blasts of power, Tetra danced between them and slashed him halfway to a fare-thee-well.

_Halfway is not enough, though,_ Zelda thought, tearing through the machines to reach her young ally. Already, Vaati was recovering, some decision taking form behind his eyes. "Yes, young and proud, yet not as invulnerable as you may think. Your elder counterpart may bend like the willow, but you will break far more easily." He raised his hands, and the toxic coils returned, more vivid and terrible than ever. "To _stone_ with you!"

Link and Zelda gasped as one. Even Tetra's eyes widened, some echo of their shared past warning her too late. _No time!_ the princess thought desperately, and teleported again, interposing herself between the young captain and the burst of implacable power flaring from the Wind Mage.

For a moment, Zelda thought her defenses had been enough. She was herself for a moment. Then her feet went cold, and she looked down in horror to see that they had become gray and hard. Her skirt weighed her down suddenly, almost pulling her to her knees, but her knees froze before they could truly buckle. _NO!_ Zelda screamed in her mind, Tetra and her Hero crying out in truth. The princess threw all her will and magic into resisting the creeping doom, but it reached her chest and stole her breath, crawled down her arms and swallowed her hands, stealing her voice, sound, sight –


	10. Part II, Chapter Three: To Conquer All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Three: To Conquer All

_The past._

_They were on a barren plain that had once been a beautiful field. In the distance, the ruins of an ancient temple loomed, one the Hero of Time had never seen before. The Ocarina hummed in fairy space, and if Link could give that hum a character, he would have called it irritable. Absurd, of course; the Ocarina was not alive, nor its spirit self-aware. Yet something about the massive cathedral pressed against Time itself. The Hero could feel that pressure, and not merely because of his counterpart's distress._

_Nevertheless, he was occupied with other thoughts as well. Seeing his two companions by the campfire, something Impa told him before they came to this parallel Realm echoed in his mind: "You never forget your first." Link had wondered what first she'd meant at the time._

_Now, seeing Zelda and Sheik quietly sharing a meal of apples and roast rabbit, he realized what she meant._ I love Zelda, with all my heart, _he thought, feeling it, knowing it into his bones. Yet there was something about Zelda-A, the princess he'd first known, that made his heart ache. He didn't understand it. She had her own world and Hero, even if it would be years before he was a child no longer. He had his Princess of Destiny, and a Realm to call home at last._

_Indeed, they were hardly the same person at all any more. While 'Sheik' was a face and identity his Zel could wear, it was the crown and identity of Princess Zelda that were the mask for the Sheik he watched finish her rabbit off with cool efficiency. Seven years of flight, training and rebellion had turned the child-princess he'd known into a Sheikah warrior._ It's like I didn't know her at all, _Link thought sadly. He'd hoped they could still be friends, at least, but Sheik had always been unapproachable. Zelda had described her once as 'a Shadow of a friend,' and it fit._

_That was why Link was so surprised when Sheik popped the last small, efficiently diced chunk of rabbit meat into her mouth and padded over to him. She pulled up the veil before she reached him, but it was the closest they'd been since Young Link had vanished. "A rupee for your thoughts, Hero," she said quietly._

" _We'll find him," he said, strangely certain of it._

_Sheik looked into the distance, eyes skipping across the forest to the east. The temple, absurdly, was north of them. "You sound so sure," she whispered._

_The Hero scowled. "If the Shadow-Hero meant to just kill the poor lad, he would have. If it were merely a blood sacrifice, he's had the time. He's waiting for us." Dark clouds were slowly forming around the temple. It reminded him unpleasantly of the deadly ring that had circled Death Mountain during Ganondorf's reign._

_Sheik looked down, then, eyes falling to her toes. It was sufficiently uncharacteristic that the Hero watched her with alarm. "Link...are_ you _all right?"_

_Link's frown deepened. "I like Young Link. He's...he's gotten to be like a kid brother to me." He turned back to stare furiously at the incongruous temple. His hands became tight, trembling fists. "I'm so tired of evil copies and Shadows. So searing tired."_

_After a moment, Sheik nodded and looked back up. She pulled down the veil and, much to Link's surprise, smiled at him. "As long as I do not qualify as one."_

_Link's head whirled around, eyes locked on Sheik once more. "Y-You?" He blurted. The Hero glanced at Zel briefly; she was cleaning up the camp, a secretive, knowing smile her only companion at the moment. "Sheik, we have our history, but you're a friend and ally. You're no one's cheap copy."_

" _Thank you, Hero," she said, touching his shoulder gently. "I hope that we will always have that much, at least." Sheik sobered quickly. "We should make haste, regardless of the Dark Hero's intent. I do not trust Ganondorf, 'echo' or no, unarmed or no."_

_Nodding, Link walked back towards the fire. There was nothing to say to that. He didn't trust help from the King of Evil, no matter what assurances he gave or how the Mario Brothers had limited his power in summoning him. As for Sheik..._ maybe we can be friends after all.

The present.

Gasping for breath, on his knees and vision blurred by tears, the Hero of Light cursed himself a fool a thousand times over. His bottle of Great Fairy Tears sat empty beside him. Everything after Vaati disappeared with Zelda was a blur of steel and Light. Sigma had cursed him and all beings of nature, and Ridley had quickly regretted attacking the Hero, but both escaped his wrath with little more than superficial damage.

_Zelda is gone._

That one thought consumed Link. It burned inside him like every torment the Evil Realm was said to contain. Zelda was gone, captured by Vaati. He'd been powerless to stop it. And the Hero had no idea where they were. Even Navi was quiet in his mind, frantic with worry but otherwise still, hoping that he would come up with something. Link wished he lived up to her faith in him.

Tetra's surprisingly gentle hand on his shoulder brought him out of his painful reverie. He stiffened and looked at her, his eyes moving more than his head. She flinched, but then met his eyes firmly. "We'll find her."

_This is your fault!_ roared through his mind, but Link crushed the thought mercilessly. Zelda would have done the same for any of them, and Tetra had never asked for the burden of the Triforce or Destiny. It was decidedly _not_ her fault that a cruel monster had chosen to make Zelda – any Zelda – his mad obsession. He nodded and stood, looking around them.

There was no sign of their attackers. Without their leaders, the mindless warrior host had fallen quickly. Luigi was shyly backed into one corner, but he was thinking, not cowering. Some memory from the Hero of Time told him that the way the plumber was looking into his hands and twitching his fingers as if counting was a sign of some arcane calculation. The one called Solid Snake slouched against a wall, arms folded, gaze taking them all in defiantly. The Hero was almost inclined to let his anger get the better of him, but for the second time in less than a minute, he checked it, if barely. Snake's eyes told a story very different from his body's. His slump said he could care less about what had happened; his flickering gaze showed that the loss of an ally ate at him.

Link came to a quick decision. "Zelda said that prisoners were likely kept toward the rear. If she's still on the ship, that's probably where we'll find her." He turned and headed in the direction Samus and her team had gone.

"We split up for a reason, kid," Snake replied. "The control room, remember?"

"Vaati isn't just another conqueror," Link said, forcing a calm tone. He didn't look back. "He means to break Zelda, to possess her." Snake made a sound of disgust. "Besides, it's clear we don't have the numbers to take the bridge of this sky ship, not if any number of its leaders command from there."

Snake didn't follow. The Hero could almost hear the man thinking. "Damn. I must be going soft," he finally said, though Link heard neither weakness or regret in the man's voice. "Okay, kid, you're right, we can't let that creep hold on to your lady. We've still got a mission to finish here, though." Link stopped. "I'll go on ahead, scout out the bridge, see what I can find. You go save your princess." The strange Sheikah shook his head. "I can't believe I just said that with a straight face..."

The Hero spun around. "Alone? You'll be killed!"

Snake grinned. "Been tried. A lot. Besides, I'm not planning on a straight-up fight. I move fast and quiet on my own."

"You should still have backup," Tetra said reluctantly. "And I can move quietly myself when I have to." Snake looked her up and down with quick efficiency. The pirate queen stared back at him defiantly. "I'm not a Sheikah in this life, but I haven't forgotten everything, and a pirate has to know when to go in cannons blazing and when to sail in under false flags and quiet smiles."

"Huh. Woman after my own heart, and not literally, either," Snake quipped. "Okay, Captain Tetra, let's see what you've got."

"I'll'a go with Link," Luigi put in. "He may need my help turning Zelda back to normal."

Snake raised a pointed eyebrow at that. "Not to mention you look about as stealthy as a 747."

Link refused to ask what the number meant. "Let's go," he said quietly. They did.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_Help me...please help me..._

Princess Zelda's consciousness flickered in and out. She was surrounded by darkness, illuminated only by a glowing green mist and twin crimson slashes. Zelda was robbed of all other senses; either that, or there was nothing to hear or smell or taste. Even her sense of touch was gone, every inch of skin numb. Whenever she was aware of her nebulous surroundings, though, she was missing at least one limb. It hadn't been removed, it was – or they were – just not there. Her arms and legs flickered away, only to reappear folded around. Once, both legs vanished together, yet she felt them nearly buckle under some horrific weight. Had they not returned seconds later, she was sure they would have been crushed.

_Where am I? Link, can you hear me? Navi? Midna? Please, is anyone there?_ Every time she thought she might start to feel something, hear something, the missing limb would return, and she was fall into darkness, only to reawaken when another part of her body was stolen. Even the Keeper of Wisdom was near panic from the weight of her helplessness.

Finally, her hair began to vanish, and distant winds reached her ears. Her scalp, her forehead, her eyes...faded back into the world at last. She could see and hear, touch and feel. When she could, though, Zelda wished she couldn't.

Vaati loomed over her, leering, while he rubbed his hands together, a near-parody of the gloating villain. Zelda's body was unmoving stone from her mouth down. Her hands were clasped together as if in prayer, or begging. She had been forced to her knees. _Of course. My limbs weren't 'vanishing.' He was returning them to flesh, forcing them to – ugh!_ The princess struggled, but she couldn't even shift her neck. All she could do was force furious breaths through her nose and glare at her captor.

"How I have longed to see you thus, my beautiful princess..." Vaati began, smiling in a mockery of passion at her. His tone and expression twisted into wrath in an instant. "...on your knees before me, where you belong!" His vile talon of a hand lashed out to grasp her jaw. Zelda was suddenly grateful that she couldn't feel it. "I will tear the Light Force from you, little princess. Ganondorf will have his golden trinket. And what's left of you..." His mood changed again, and his smile was genuine – genuinely insane. He stroked her cheek in a charade of affection. "...we'll be together. At last."

"Don't touch her, you freak!" a familiar voice snarled from beyond Zelda's sight. For a moment, terror struck at Zelda's heart, before she placed the voice in truth. It wasn't her Hero, but the dark counterpart that Midna had redeemed. _A prisoner, like myself,_ she thought sadly.

Vaati looked up over her head and smirked. "And what will you do to me if I continue, Twilight toy?" he said, laughing. "Rattle your chains like the ghost you are? Pathetic." Vaati patted Zelda on her head like an obedient dog. Dalkin snarled. "You just haven't admitted that you're a phantom, alive in only the most technical sense. A pale imitation of the Hero, who settled for a pale imitation of the princess!"

"Heh." Dalkin ceased his struggles, or so Zelda guessed from how the sounds of struggling ended. "Why don't you go tell Midna what a pale imitation she is? Because, you know, that worked out so well last time. Then again, you prefer to take your ladies for granite."

Zelda groaned in spite of herself. Vaati glared. "I think I'll leave you two to chat for a while. Scheme to escape in a place where there is none. Eventually, you'll help each other realize how doomed you both are. But first..." The Wind Mage's hand loosened on her jaw, and sensation slowly crept back in, flowing across her lips and cheeks, but stopping at her neck. Then he squeezed painfully, squatted in front of her, and pressed his lips against hers in what Vaati must have thought was a kiss. Dalkin went briefly mad, thrashing so hard that Zelda feared he would harm himself. She did nothing, forcing herself to disassociate her mind from her body. Sheikah training combined with the disembodied feeling the stone prison left her with made it easy.

Vaati stood, glared furiously at the princess, and turned, walking toward the door. He gestured, and various dark windows opened, revealing places that were clearly not the opposite sides of their walls. Indeed, some of these windows were in the middle of the room. _Panels, screens, that's what they're called,_ Zelda remembered. "You would do well to show more...enthusiasm, next time," the Wind Mage snarled over his shoulder when the door opened for him. "If nothing else, I can always amuse myself with your roommate." He strode out quickly, robe swirling around him.

"Give him nothing, princess," Dalkin said. Zelda craned her neck, and if she turned as far as her prison allowed, could just see the handsome negative image of her beloved. He was chained spreadeagled, upside-down, to a mirror that floated in mid-air. It was reminiscent of the Mirror of Twilight, but was not quite identical. Its markings were similar, but differed in style. Theirs were an older Hylian script, less angular but literally more pointed. Carved in Shadow, the letters almost literally consumed light. "I can endure anything that poor man's Ganon could imagine."

"I pray it will not come to that, good Dalkin," Zelda replied. She glanced down at herself, smiling ruefully at her position. "Vaati has helped me in that, at least." The Dark Hero snorted a chuckle in spite of himself. "We must have faith in those we love. I take no pleasure in the thought of being helpless here while my Hero faces danger on my behalf yet again. However, unless Vaati's magic – or possibly that of his divine patron – weakens, I can do nothing but lend to Link all the might I have left in me."

Dalkin sighed with weary resignation. "I guess I'll try to do the same for Midna, then. Nothing says I have to like it, though."

"On that much," Zelda said darkly, "we can assuredly agree."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ganondorf stalked the corridors of the _Halberd_ with a deadly calm, his rage carefully kept in check. Space pirates quietly gave him a wide berth. Moblins cowered at the mere sight of him. Primids, nearly mindless as they were, sometimes did not move when he approached. The King of Evil simply destroyed the offending creatures with causal bursts of power.

#Dragmire,# he sent. The distinctions the heroes had made between the two just before their scrying of them had been obscured was useful, though the Forger of Strength hadn't appreciated their reasoning.

Dragmire had. #Yes, my counterpart?# he sent cheerfully.

#Have you begun your assault on the island?# Ganondorf asked as evenly as he could manage.

#Not yet,# Dragmire admitted. #My force has landed, but the angel is explaining certain matters to the Hero, the locals, and a Sheikah of your Hero's acquaintance.#

#Gathering intelligence,# Ganondorf mused. #Wise. Very well. I defer to your experience in this world, but do inform me when your attack begins.#

#Of course,# Dragmire replied, 'sounding' faintly offended. They ended the connection as one.

For a few seconds, Ganondorf paused in the corridor, considering his next move. Their divine leader had made their collective position clear. The King of Evil was not accustomed to being subordinate to anyone. It had been a very long time indeed since he had taken orders rather than giving them. Worse, it had been even longer since he had been given orders that he did not want to follow. The last being to do so had been Kotake. _More than a thousand years ago,_ he realized. Ganondorf had waited patiently in the Twilight Realm for so long...so very long...yet it had gone by quickly in some ways. He had been able to thread his will into the pliant Twili, then 'sleep' for decades, even centuries at one point. It had seemed to be worth it at the time.

The Gerudo made his decision. With an instant's exertion of will, he teleported to the emergency command center in the bowels of the ship. There, Dalkin spoke calmly with the princess. "He's not as powerful as I was in some ways," the Dark Hero explained, "but he is a true Shadow, immaterial. I hope Link's ready for him."

"I have faith in my Hero," Zelda replied, but her eyes were fixed on the King of Evil. "We have company, Dalkin."

"What?" Dalkin tried to twist around to see. Unsure why he did it, Ganondorf willed the Mirror to slide through the air and turn, granting the duplicate easy sight of Zelda and vice versa. "YOU!" the shadowy figure roared, thrashing in his bonds again.

"No," Zelda said quickly, "don't let him get to you." She looked up at Ganondorf with a serenity she surely did not feel. Only her fierce, penetrating eyes betrayed any emotion. "Well. I am as utterly your prisoner as I was when you poisoned and possessed me with your dark power. You must be proud to lay me low twice in this manner."

Ganondorf regarded her for several seconds. "No," he finally admitted, his voice quiet, "I am not." Zelda's gaze softened. "I have wronged you, in that life and this. You are a warrior, and a leader worthy of any people. I could not see it until now. No," he conceded further, "I refused to admit it."

The princess gaped for a moment. Her gaze then pleaded with him openly. "Then why? Whatever else you have been, there has always been some honor in you. How could you do something that even you now see is wrong?"

"Because he's a monster," Dalkin snarled. "It's just that he realizes it now."

Ganondorf shook his head. "No. I have been a monster, true...but now I only seek to hold to what honor I have left. I have made pacts, sworn oaths, and I will not betray them." He gazed at Zelda, wishing he could duel her honorably. _It is not to be._ He steeled himself. "Your Hero comes. Rest assured that even the power that overwhelmed you cannot overcome the Blade of Evil's Bane. I realize now it is why I was resurrected. She fears the Master Sword, yet at the same time, finds great potential in the Hero's Shadow. I am to defeat Link, or barring that, delay him until my mistress' plans are complete."

"You have been betrayed," Zelda realized. The Gerudo King nodded. "You owe your mistress nothing!"

"If only that were so," Ganondorf replied, his voice emotionless. "She betrayed my trust, but she has not broken her word nor forsworn her oaths. That she was more clever than I is not reason enough to abandon my honor." He turned to leave, but paused. "I do not believe her plans will succeed. The Hero's cleverness is ever underestimated. She says she will not make the same mistake, but she already has. He comes for you even now." When the princess did not respond, he strode to the door.

When he reached it, she asked, "What mistake did she make?"

Ganondorf turned and smiled. It was the first time he had smiled honestly... _by the gods._ He knew he had before, but could not remember when. "She thinks your captivity will be his undoing, and she thinks Vaati can defeat him." He faced the door again.

It opened, revealing the Wind Mage. Vaati frowned at the sight of Ganondorf. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Ganondorf's fraying temper vanished, and he caught Vaati by the neck. "Do not test my patience, _Minish!_ Defy my authority, and the goddess will _thank_ me for killing you!"

Rasping and nodding, Vaati clutched desperately at the monarch's grasping hand and tried to breathe out an apology. After a few brief, satisfying seconds, Ganondorf dropped the pathetic creature, unsure which of them he was more disgusted with.

The insubordinate sorcerer glared at him. "I am here," he gasped, "for Zelda. At the goddess' command. I suggest you heed _her_ wishes in this, at least."

Ganondorf carefully did not smile. _May the Hero rid the realms of you once and for all, Wind Mage,_ he thought viciously. While he could not detect Link's precise location, the Gerudo King could sense the Hero of Light heading towards his princess. _He is drawn, it would seem, by their bond. A curious thing, that._ A long-forgotten memory resurfaced: the Hero of Time, despairing in his triumph, that they should have been friends. _It will not be in this life, either,_ Ganondorf decided grimly, _but perhaps another._ He turned to go, certain that he would not have to look at the diseased Minish again.

"Ganondorf!" Zelda called. One last time, the Gerudo turned to look at the princess. "Who _is_ your mistress?"

Frowning, the King of Evil considered the question. Somewhere beyond, the dark queen of the underworld nodded with sadistic delight. "I am surprised that your petrification has not answered your question. You have already proven strong enough to resist Vaati's unaided power." Zelda paled. "Yes." He walked through the door. He said only one word before it closed behind him:

"Medusa."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Medusa?" Wind-Link gasped. "I thought she was only a myth!" Aryll and the Sheikah – _the other Aryll,_ the Hero thought with amazement – both stared. His sister's expression was disbelief. The Sheikah's was cooler than the night breeze, what they could see of it, at least.

Pit smiled gently. He seemed a bit sad to the Hero. "A legend? Such as Zelda, for example?"

The Hero of Winds had no way to respond to that, so he gave up and soldiered on. "Okay, so we're facing a higher goddess. That's not good." Link frowned. "What does she want?"

The angel's smile vanished. He shook his head with a touch of disbelief. "What does she ever want? Power, darkness, revenge. Medusa wants to extinguish light and wisdom and replace them with ignorance and fear."

"That explains why she wants the Ganons on her side," Link noted dryly. His head tilted to one side as he regarded the divine champion. "Still, if she wants revenge, she wants it _against_ someone." Realization struck immediately, and he straightened. "Parthena?"

"Exactly," Pit said, nodding gravely. "The holy Goddess of Light stopped Medusa from tormenting humanity and banished her to the underworld. She gathered an army there once to overthrow Parthena, but...that didn't really work." The angel looked down shyly.

"Why do I get the feeling you had something to do with that?" the Sheikah asked softly. Link couldn't see the smile beneath her scarf, but he knew it was there.

Pit's cheeks glowed a faint pink, his foot twisting a bit in the sand. "That's not important right now," he said quickly. "What matters is that Medusa's regained enough strength in the underworld that she can strike against the overworld realms." He turned serious in an instant, his youthful features showing ancient experience and willpower. "She doesn't dare attack directly, though, not yet. So she operates through agents. Ridley, Sigma, Bowser..." Pit frowned. "Ganon."

Link sighed sadly, then looked up into the distance. Slowly, the pinprick in the sky that was the _Halberd_ was growing, approaching with an almost stately grace. He looked back at the angel. "Pit, sir, you said there were things you couldn't tell us. That wasn't it, was it?"

For a moment, the angel stepped back, eyes wide. Aryll and the Sheikah looked at one another, then back at the two heroes. Pit composed himself quickly, though, nodding. "No, it wasn't. You're right. I just recently learned the truth myself. And since Light-Link and Zelda aren't here..." He sat, cross-legged, in the sand. Wind-Link followed suit, as did the two Arylls. "Things have had to go the way they have for three primary reasons. First, it's important for your counterpart and his princess to understand their own feelings, Light-Link especially." Both Arylls smiled, Wind-Link's sister broadly, the Sheikah subtly. "Second, Ganondorf must understand, well, certain truths about Medusa, on his own."

"What 'truths?'" the Shiekah asked coolly.

"That Medusa isn't the honorable divinity that he thought," Pit said grimly, "and that he isn't as devoted to evil as he believed." The lithe warrior raised an eyebrow, regarding the angel dubiously, but Pit continued, undeterred. "There are others who must make certain discoveries about themselves as well, but they're well on their way in those matters. All these factors, according to Holy Parthena, will aid in our victory."

"She just _knows_ all this?" Aryll asked, leaning forward, eyes wide with interest.

Pit chewed nervously at his lower lip. "Even Parthena is not all-knowing," he explained, "but she sees more than even most gods. If necessary, should something go wrong, she can...nudge fate in the right direction."

"That seems to take the sting out of our risks," Sheikah-Aryll said, her tone still doubtful.

"You're right to be dubious," Pit agreed. "Even the Goddess of Light cannot simply change the course of destiny without paying a price. She will have to turn much of her energy to the effort...and it is Parthena that the Goddess of Darkness wants revenge against."

"Bah," a deep, sinister and all-too-familiar voice boomed. All four leaped to their feet, Link's sister retreating, her Sheikah counterpart stepping between her and the sound. The Hero's heart fell when he saw the massive Gerudo figure stride around the mountain to approach them. Moblins, Ridley's pirates, walking fanged mushrooms and Primids followed the King of Evil. "If these are the secrets Ganondorf was so eager to hear revealed, he will be greatly disappointed." With a lightning-quick flourish, Dragmire drew his twin blades, their enchanted edges slicing the air itself. "Either that, or he is less a Gerudo than I thought."

"Perhaps," Pit said quietly, matching Dragmire's paired blades with a twirl of his own, "he is simply more human."

"Humanity," Dragmire snorted dismissively. "An overrated trait." He pointed at the three warriors with his right blade. "CRUSH THEM!"

The monsters surged forward. "Run for the house!" Link demanded, and Aryll obeyed with clear reluctance. Then, as one, the trio charged their assailants with matched roars of defiance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As quietly as they could, Light-Link and Luigi padded through the large, echoing corridors of the alien ship. "Do you understand the principles of this...ship, Luigi?" the Hero asked quietly.

"Oh, a'sure," Luigi replied _sotto voce._ "The technology is'a strange, but it works as long as you can make the principles of its native world come with it." The plumber took in the tubes and conduits around them with clear interest. "I think it's a combination of anti-gravity, repulsors, and good old-fashioned aerodynamics."

Link grunted in vague agreement. "Anti-gravity. That's serious Charm magic."

"Or technology," Luigi said with a shrug.

The Hero nodded. #Navi?# Link sent. #Anything?#

#Sorry, Link,# Navi replied, her glow pulsing with frustration, #the bond's been blurred by the most powerful magic I've ever felt. Even for Ganon-dork, this is impressive stuff.# Link forced himself not to laugh at her quip.

The Primids rained down on them like a thunderstorm.

Luigi screamed and did his spin attack; the Hero let out a battle cry and did likewise. "They'a _found_ us! What do we do, Link?"

"Stay calm," the Hero of Light said, matching tone to words, then words to deeds. He speared one Primid with a quick thrust, threw a bomb into a small cluster of them a few yards away, then rolled back and fired a volley of arrows at the rest. Luigi joined in with a trio of glowing green fireballs. Together, they reduced their assailants to a manageable number.

While they fought, Link caught sight of a glowing knot of mana floating past. The Hero blinked in astonishment at the force. "A Smash Ball!" Luigi gasped. "Link, hit it, quick!"

_A_ what _ball?_ Link wondered, but obeyed with a leaping spin attack. The knot unraveled at the Master Sword's touch, and mana coursed through him like rapids. "Fire, Love and Wind!" he gasped, cutting down approaching Primids almost reflexively. A spell leaped to mind, one he'd never before imagined. "Fa-Farore's STORM!" he shouted, and the power tore through him. Navi gasped.

In the space of a second, he grew six inches, his chain mail became silver-blue plate, his green tunic turned blue-white, and his arms and legs all expanded an inch in diameter from pure muscle. He couldn't see it, but he could _feel_ markings pulsing on his face. His eyes blazed with raw magical power. Even the Master Sword had changed, growing into a fantastic helical greatsword that coursed with power. The shield was gone, but he hardly needed it. While paralyzed by the incredible energy, he barely noticed three Primids attack him; their blows glanced off his body harmlessly. "Onigami..." Navi breathed.

#No,# Link assured her. #A memory of him to be sure, but...I am Oni _Link.#_ The Hero of Light flashed a predatory smile at their enemies, suddenly in disarray. _It's like being the wolf and the man both, all at once._ He loped forward, obliterating Primids with casual swipes of the Master Helix. With a touch of concentration, he sent a huge spiral of Light and power into a pack of the creatures. It erupted on contact, and when the flash faded, his targets were simply gone.

For several seconds, he continued in this vein, ripping through any enemy too slow to evade him. Eventually, the magic faded, and Link was himself once more, but the glory of the transformation remained. More to the point, they had thinned out the strange automata's ranks to finish them off in short order. _Wow. That...wow._

Luigi, meanwhile, wilted with the disintegration of the last Primid. "I'm'a sorry, Link. I'm just not as brave as you or my brother."

The Hero gave his fellow warrior in green a friendly smile. "Nonsense. Bravery isn't about being fearless. It's about facing your fears. Unless I missed something, you were right there fighting alongside me."

Luigi smiled back in gratitude. "I knew there was a reason I missed'a you, Hero." His smile vanished again. "That still doesn't change what happened, though. They must'a know where we are!"

"Mmm. I don't think so," Link said, pointing around them with the Master Sword. "Where are the reinforcements, the self-propelled weapons, the traps? I think that was just an automatic defense system." He folded his arms. "Now why don't you tell me what in the name of the gods that power _was?"_

"Oh, right," Luigi replied, chuckling nervously. "I called them Smash Balls; it's'a kinda stuck. They're some kind of energy knots that'a form from having so many powerful beings connected to one another. Quantum entanglement, magical sympathy, it's all tied'a together." The plumber in green winced. "Ah, so to speak."

"And when one of us manages to untie the knot, we gain some kind of temporary power?" Link asked. Luigi nodded. "What does it do to you?"

The beorc pulled his hat over his eyes. "I'd'a...rather not say."

Shrugging, Link conceded the issue. _If – when we get out of this, I'll ask him again._ He gestured at a nearby door, then sheathed the Blade of Evil's Bane. "We should keep moving. There's another storage room. Let's have a look."

Luigi nodded and followed. _It feels weird,_ Link mused, _to be the one doing most of the talking._ He shrugged. _Well, whatever gets the job done._ He opened the door. His heart nearly stopped.

Zelda's stone face was on the ground before him. Her arms were in different directions halfway across the room. Her torso was in three pieces in the center. Her legs – if the pile of rubble with her feet atop them _were_ her legs – had been carelessly shoved into one corner. His beloved princess looked up at him in stunned surprise. Navi erupted from his cap, swirling around him in a wordless frenzy.

Link fell to his knees. _No. No, no, no._ Denial thundered through him. It wasn't possible. This couldn't be how it ended. It _couldn't_ be. He reached out, fingertips trembling as they made contact with the rough granite that had been Zelda's beautiful features.

Again, the Hero was overwhelmed. He felt _life_ beneath that stone. Somehow, through some miracle, being shattered had not killed his princess – not in this rocky form. #Navi. Connection.#

#I...I can't really feel anything,# the tiny fairy replied, her psychic voice quiet from shock. #I mean, she's alive, but the bond's like a fog.#

#Right.# Relentless determination replaced the panic he'd felt mere seconds before. "Luigi," he whispered hoarsely.

"Link...I'm so sorry..." Luigi said through sniffles.

"She's alive," the Hero insisted. "She's...I need your help."

The diminutive plumber gasped. "Wh-what? How can I...?"

"Zelda has been trying to teach me mind over matter." Link stood, forcing himself to focus all his power, all his attention, to the task at hand. He remembered feeling Midna's magic rippling through him. In another life, he saw the Princess of Destiny make masonry move with a gesture. _It has to work. It has to._ "I'm literally going to put her back together. When I tell you, you have to turn her back – all at once. I can't use the Master Sword to do this, it'll only repel the evil that it touches."

"Who, me?" Luigi gasped. "I _can't,_ Link! I'm a screw-up! My brother's the hero, I'm'a just..."

"The smartest man on this ship," Link said, a touch of desperation creeping into his words. "For the gods' sake, Luigi, _please._ We're all there is right now, and I need you."

There was silence behind the Hero of Light for what felt like forever. Finally, there was a sound of rubber flexing and metal shifting. "Okay, Link. Okay. You pull...pull Zelda back'a together, and I'll...make it work." Whispering, Luigi added in a shaky voice, "Somehow I'll make it work."

Link nodded. #Navi.#

#I'd say you're crazy, but...what do we have to lose?# Navi replied, then began to circle the shards. Slowly at first, then faster and faster until she was a nearly solid blue ring, she gave Link a lock onto every last piece of stone that had been a petrified woman.

#Nothing,# Link agreed. Then, with all his will and power, his determination and magic, the Hero screamed his defiance at death itself, and _pulled._ The pieces flew together, flying into place. The air around the stone figure warped light itself, but he could feel every last shard and chunk sliding into place. _A little more...gods, just a little more..._ It felt like running a marathon full-tilt. Every nerve ached. Mana screamed and poured out of him.

Suddenly, she was whole. "NOW!" Link howled. A beam of green and white light lanced out from behind the Hero, striking the remade statue. Rock became flesh and cloth. A woman in saffron yellow fell to their feet. For a moment, Link panicked, but then he heard a breath, and he knew they'd done it. She was alive. Again, he fell to his knees. "zelda..." he gasped.

A full face mask rolled to his knees. It was Zelda's face. What little concentration he could manage sent a wordless query to Navi, but she had no answer, staring as blankly as he did. "...what?" Link blurted.

Unnoticed by the exhausted Hero, Luigi had run past him and cradled the fallen woman in his arms. "Daisy? What are you'a doing here?"

"Stupid plumber," she gasped. Then she grabbed the shoulder straps of Luigi's overalls and kissed him ferociously.

In spite of the dire threat, Link couldn't help a happy smile. _That feels...long overdue, somehow._ Memories of the Hero of Time told him this was right. Nevertheless, while one princess had been saved, it wasn't his Zelda. He staggered to his feet, then nearly fell over. #Link!# Navi gasped.

"Link, no," Daisy blurted, trying to stand, then falling back into Luigi's arms. "Blast it, finally where I want and I can't...listen, Vaati set me up like this! He knew you'd knock yourself out putting me back together!"

Link exhaled forcefully. "He needn't have bothered with the mask. He doesn't know me as well as he thinks." Forcing his rebellious muscles to obey, he walked toward the door. Navi muttered to herself, the fairy partner emanating sheer frustration, but she didn't argue.

"It's a trap, you stubborn elf! You need help!" Again, Daisy tried to stand. Again, she fell into Luigi's arms. "Y'know, under other circumstances I could get used to this..."

"There must be microscopic fissures where he'a put you back together," Luigi said quietly. "It's'a not your fault." He stood, cradling Daisy easily in his arms, and turned to Link. "I'll find a safe place for Daisy and..." Luigi trailed off.

"Exactly," Link sighed. "There _is_ no safe place on this ship. Get your princess out of here. I have to find mine." At the door, he turned back and smiled. "I told you you could do it." With that, he left the room.

Once the door closed, he let himself stagger to a crate and lean heavily on it, panting. _Come on, Hero. You don't quit. That's why the Hero always triumphs, somehow._ He stared down the long corridor ahead. _Somehow._ Forcing himself to march onward, Link followed his instincts. #Navi, tell me you have something. Please.#

Navi nodded. #We're getting closer. I think I'm starting to cut through the interference. Let's try...this way.# She pivoted to the right, and the Hero followed.

Soon enough, he was able to follow his ears; between Vaati's gloating and Dalkin's fury, it was easy to find the prisoners' chamber. _A pity Midna's team isn't here,_ he thought, forcing himself not to think about how dire the situation was. #Gods bless you, Navi.#

#Sh, they're talking,# she replied, enhancing his hearing.

"...precious Hero should be mistaking an absurd Peach-wannabe for you right about now," Vaati sneered, sadistic glee all but dripping from his voice. "He will break."

"He will not," Zelda replied coolly. "He will heal her."

"Mmm, yes," Vaati agreed reluctantly, "eventually. I know that accursed Hero well enough to realize he's not entirely stupid. Yet how much will be left of Link after he pulls the wilting Daisy back together, then 'heals' her by running the Master Sword over every inch of her body?"

Link, suddenly feeling much less exhausted, drew the Blade of Evil's Bane and slapped the control panel with his free hand. Vaati whirled and snarled, Zelda's stern face lit up with joy and relief, and Dalkin laughed. "More than you thought, looks like," the Dark Hero quipped.

"Unlikely," Vaati said curtly, thrusting his arm out with a savage chop. A ball of lightning shot out at the Hero, who parried it wordlessly with the Master Sword. Link grimly pulled his shield onto his right arm. Navi flew into place over the Wind Mage's head.

The two stared balefully at one another. "Nothing to say, Hero?" Vaati asked. He grinned insanely. "You're usually such a blabbermouth," he quipped dryly.

Link cried out wordlessly and charged. Vaati gestured and chanted, summoning four glowing scarlet eyes around him. The inevitable beams of searing light-fire scoured the wall behind the Hero, melting panels into slag and gouging the metal, but they merely sizzled ineffectively against Link's shield. The Master Sword sprang out and slashed at Vaati, but the sorcerer's defenses repelled even the Blade of Evil's Bane.

"The eyes, Link! Destroy the–" Zelda shouted, cut off as her petrification crawled up her neck to freeze her throat and mouth.

_Thank you, my princess,_ Link thought fervently. Vaati screamed and redoubled his attacks, summoning blue serpents with obsidian fangs. The Master Sword obliterated the snakes easily, but the roving eyes were moving with speed he just couldn't match in his current state. He grimaced and sent a silent request to Navi, who flew across the eyes. His mind locked onto each, and in a blur, he pulled his bow and fired four bomb arrows in rapid succession. Each eye exploded with a satisfying burst of fire and shadow, and Vaati reeled. A golden eye on his robes opened, and Link realized that his defenses were weak. He sprung and slashed with frenzied desperation.

After too short an advantage, the Wind Mage regained his equilibrium and flew back, the eye closing and his defenses rising once more. The Beamos eyes reappeared, but were immediately covered in black shells. For a moment, the Hero thought they couldn't fire on him in that state, but they quickly proved him wrong. He deflected most of the attacks with his shield, but one left an impressive burn on his upper arm. Link winced and stumbled back, the Dark Hero grunting in sympathy and Zelda's eyes widening with helpless rage.

_How..._ Link glared at the eyes. There was always a way, but running through his arsenal in the usual manner would take time he didn't have. #Navi, has Vaati used this trick before?#

#Yes,# Navi replied, worry reverberating through her voice and heart, #but unless you have the Gust Jar, we have a problem.#

_Gust Jar?_ Link's memories flickered back across the veil of worlds and time, to a far-distant life where he fought a very similar Vaati with the power of... _the Wind!_ #Navi, give me another lock-on spread!# he sent excitedly. Navi, confused but relieved that the Hero had a plan, obeyed, enhancing his natural focus. Together, they harmonized with all four Beamos eyes immediately.

Link instantly summoned the Gale Boomerang and let fly. It struck all four eyes in swift succession, leaving them not only exposed, but spinning dizzily. Vaati himself was affected as well – the Wind Mage clutched his head and groaned in disoriented horror. Again, the Hero leaped to destroy the weaponized eyes, then attacked Vaati himself. This time, though, the instant he recovered, the Wind Mage leaped away and into the air. For a moment, Link was uncertain why the former minish had jumped back. Then he saw the knot of energy Luigi had identified. _The Smash Ball,_ the Hero realized with horror. Vaati shattered it with a blast of lightning, then absorbed it to glow a menacing green. He laughed maniacally as he transformed into a single gigantic eye with two long arms. His hands had cruel, menacing talons at the end of each finger. _Uh-oh._

Link blocked the first telescoping slash with his shield, but the other arm caught him across the midriff, and the massive eye fired a jet of flame that felt like it turned the whole world into fire. The Hero spun to put himself out, then leaped behind some debris. The arms hammered his half-melted shelter, and the eye glowed and fired again. All the nearby metal turned white-hot, and the Hero was dripping with sweat, but he hadn't been injured again. _This console won't last long,_ Link realized, and looked around for another spot to wait out the transformation's brief life.

"This is the Juror of Courage?" Vaati laughed, voice booming. "Then again," he admitted, "I suppose it's not cowardice to admit that you're completely outmatched. I'll have to choose better ground...won't I, Dark Hero?"

Link peered over the glowing slag to see Vaati's reshaped form pivot in the air towards Dalkin. The replica didn't struggle, through he trembled slightly as he held himself still, gritted his teeth and glared with helpless defiance at the monster. One claw stretched out towards Link's duplicate. _Fire, Love and Wind,_ the Hero thought wearily, standing, nocking a bomb arrow, and firing at Vaati's 'shoulder' all in one smooth motion.

The bomb exploded harmlessly against the seemingly invulnerable form. Vaati turned, eye narrowing as it locked onto Link. The Hero could almost feel the Wind Mage smile. Before Vaati could attack, though, the magic wore off, and the humanoid form collapsed to the ground, staring at his hands in surprise. _Thank you, Farore!_ Link prayed in gratitude, wasting no time in renewing his assault. Vaati screamed when the Master Sword struck home, driving deep into the power-hungry villain's chest.

A burst of force threw Link back, and the Hylian struggled to stay upright. Vaati's form twisted again, turning into the giant eye, but this time it lacked the claws, and the Hero knew he was vulnerable. Eight eyes circled the Wind Mage, not four, hovering protectively around him.

"Link, he's weakening!" Zelda shouted. The Hero turned, and he shuddered from the sheer sense of relief when he saw that her petrification had receded down to her shoulders. The princess had enough body free that she could actually shift and struggle against her transformation, and the stony prison was still melting away, if slowly. "I can sense that he's vulnerable to the Master Sword like this! Finish him, quickly!"

_Indeed,_ Link thought in utter agreement. His second wind was giving way. _I have to finish him quickly. I cannot fail. I_ must _not._ Shadowy fire burned around the huge orb, and lightning crackled around the crest that was all that remained of Vaati's regalia. Link dodged the bursts of shadow flame and slashed with the Master Sword. The smaller, closed eye he struck sounded like it screamed for an instant, then exploded. The gap wasn't wide enough for Link to reach the central eye. _One more ought to do it, though,_ Link guessed. He blocked the lightning spheres with his shield, then charged in and destroyed the eye to the left of the gap he'd created. Vaati's true eye widened with disbelief, which gave the Hero his opening. He drove the Master Sword through the huge pupil, all the way to the hilt.

The howl of pain and terror was almost deafening. For an instant, Link stared in amazement. _Did I do it? Is it over?_ he thought, not quite daring to believe. Yet Vaati shrank down to his Hylian form, clutching at twin wounds through his chest. A hand touched Link's shoulder gently. The Hero turned, amazed once again, to see Zelda smiling beatifically, standing whole and restored by his side. "My Hero," she whispered.

"I...am not done...with you..." Vaati gasped, still shrinking. "One day...there will be...a final reckoning..." he promised. Then Vaati was gone.

"Not in this lifetime," Zelda retorted, then turned to Link and examined him clinically. All that betrayed her emotion was a quiver of her lips. "You...you'll be all right. The fatigue borders on the toxic, though. You should rest–"

Unable to contain himself any more, Link kissed her. All his passion, his love and relief, thundered through him. Zelda gasped quietly, then returned his kiss and embrace with equal ardor. To his dying day, the Hero of Light did not know or care where he found the strength. It was there; that was enough.

#Woo-HOO! Go, Link!# Navi exulted. The Hero obeyed enthusiastically.

The princess' smile was shaken but delighted when they came up for air. She slid back half a step, not quite leaving his embrace but loosening his arms' grip on her. "Link...I thought...I'm not _remotely_ objecting or complaining, mind you...but you said you wanted to wait. You wanted to take it easy, take things slow."

Link thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. I did." He pulled Zelda back to him. "Din _sear_ 'slow.'" He kissed her again. This time, Zelda shuddered in his arms as she returned the favor. This time, when their lips parted, there was no diffidence or uncertainty in Zelda's eyes. "I don't know how long we have, Zel. What I do know is that I'm not going to waste a single moment more on 'maybe' or 'what if.' We have each other. Nothing else matters."

Dalkin cleared his throat pointedly.

Zelda chuckled when Link sighed. He released the princess and looked at his counterpart ruefully. "I meant that on a personal level. Hang on, I'll–" Link took a step forward. His legs gave way then, and he sprawled on the floor, muscles screaming in protest. "ow."

With a gasp, Zelda dropped to his side, helping him to sit upright. "Farore, Hero, don't _kill_ yourself over it!" Dalkin objected.

"I'm just tired," Link replied, voice so weary it made his words redundant. He reached into fairy space and pulled out a potion, drinking it with exhausted relief. His wounds vanished, but the weariness remained. _Even the Triforce of Courage has its limits._

Zelda stroked his hair fondly. "You rest, my Hero. I'll free Dalkin and..." she paused, looking towards the door. "...did anyone else hear that?"

Link shook his head, then paused, listening for a moment. _Footsteps. Clawed footsteps._ They were approaching the door. "Vaati? Your comm unit stopped functioning," an all-too-familiar draconic voice rasped. "Vaati, you dolt, can you hear me? Vaati!" A hand slammed into the panel, and the door slid open. Ridley peered in ominously. "The Hunter's friend. Of course." He stalked carefully forward. "I warned that idiot Vaati." His reptilian features twisted into a dark smile. "Still, this has possibilities. I wonder how that accursed Hunter will react to your beaten, broken form, primitive."

With a scowl, Zelda stood, taking a defensive stance. "You will never know, beast. Link, free Dalkin. I will handle this villain." Link tried to stand, tried to object. When the effort of regaining his footing took his breath away, he gave in, cursing his weakness even while he stumbled towards his dark counterpart.

"Pathetic, backwards descendant of monkeys!" Ridley snarled. "Your superstitions and spells are no match for the master of the space pirates!" In spite of his words, he stalked forward with obvious caution, flapping his wings slowly and methodically. Zelda cast a ball of Din's Fire at the dragon, but Ridley batted it aside with one of his wings.

_Be careful, Zelda,_ Link thought, reaching Dalkin at last. He gripped one of the chains to steady himself, then reached behind the mirror. There, where the chains crossed one another in an X that mimicked Dalkin's own spreadeagled posture, Link drove the Master Sword through two links. He gripped the handle with both hands and pulled. Nothing happened. _Gods, help us._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda and Ridley circled one another, each watching the other move with a practiced warrior's eye. _This one's intelligent, skilled, and ruthless. I must be careful,_ Zelda thought warily. Ridley breathed fire at the princess. She countered with Nayru's Love, then leaped into the air and came down at him with a mana-charged kick. Ridley backed out of the way, then attacked with a tail swipe that Zelda barely evaded.

The murderous pirate hunched down, occasionally scuttling on all fours. _He's too big!_ Zelda thought suddenly. _The quarters are too cramped for him to truly fight in his element!_ With that in mind, she immediately transformed into Sheik. "What's this?" Ridley hissed, eyes narrowing.

His concern did not help him. Sheik teleported above the monster, darting down and kicking him in the small of the back. When Ridley roared and spun, Sheik was already out of the way. She threw needles into his side, then dodged and rolled away from a claw slash. With a flick of her wrist, she lashed out with her blade-chain, leaving a long, shallow gash on the previously-untouched opposite side.

With speed she hadn't imagined, Ridley whirled, his wing hammering Sheik in the stomach and sending her sprawling. She glanced behind. Link hadn't seen it, mercifully, but he grunted with effort redoubled, so he'd obviously sensed something through their bond. Gathering her resolve, the Trained Sheikah vanished, appearing behind the hateful creature. With lightning speed, she struck him from every direction, fists and feet striking the alien creature in a blur. Its claws found her twice, slashing her skin painfully, but she was too fast for the creature in this comparatively small space.

Ridley bellowed in frustration and threw out its fists and wings in an explosion of force. Sheik went limp, riding the burst and landing lightly. She skidded back a few inches, then held her ground, focusing on her foe. A flicker of thought showed her Link grimacing in weary frustration, and she felt him consider sticking a bomb arrow into the chains. He promptly rejected the plan as too dangerous – to Dalkin. _Gods, does he have to be so fearless?_ Sheik thought, more than a little frustrated herself.

The dragon stepped sideways a few feet, watching her with a cold fury. "You are fast, little ape-woman," he snarled, "but you are not strong. A thousand blows from your useless limbs will not stop me."

Beneath her scarf, Sheik smiled coolly. "No," she admitted, "but they will slow you down." With a quick twirl of her arm, she once again became Zelda. "And you should know that my blows are more than formidable enough in _this_ form. Din's Fire!" she cried, and she hit her foe with a burst of flame. Ridley charged straight through this, most likely unafraid of fire when he himself wielded the power, but he literally ran right into her fist. With her considerable psychic power behind the blow, Zelda sent the beast reeling into the door. "And for the record," the princess said with a sly smile, "Hylians are descended from _cats,_ thank you very much."

Nursing a fractured jaw, Ridley slapped the interior panel, opening the door and retreating. Zelda turned to help Link, sighing in relief. She paused, though, when she saw the space pirate stop and gesture beckoningly into the corridor. The Hylian princess heard the scuttling of a large contingent of foot soldiers headed for the powerful leader. Ridley looked back into the chamber and hissed.

Then a very familiar hand thrust into view, formed into a crimson fist as large as Zelda herself. It knocked several space pirates and Moblins into Ridley and sent the whole lot flying in the other direction. "Midna!" Zelda cried in relief. Indeed, the imp floated over to her, never looking more beautiful as she grinned at her fellow princess, one dainty fang peeking over her lip. Behind her, Samus and Rock roared a wordless battle cry and fired their cannons at their foes. From the sounds of battle, Ridley and his remaining forces retreated with alacrity.

"Who else?" Midna floated over to Zelda, then glanced over at the two Heroes. The imp pivoted around Zelda and flew quickly to Link's side. "Let me get that." She grasped the chains in her enormous fist and squeezed. The steel shattered, and Dalkin gasped as he fell. Midna gestured, and the Dark Hero stopped an inch from the floor.

"Whew," Dalkin exhaled in relief. He pivoted in the air until he was upright, then Midna let him fall to the ground. He strode around the mirror, but Midna flew away, ducking around to the other side. "Hey, Midna?"

Link chuckled, then leaned heavily on the floating mirror. This just _happened_ to push it out of the way. Midna gasped, spun to glare at the Hero, then folded her arms around herself and turned half-away from Dalkin. "Are – are you all right?" she asked quietly.

Dalkin strode purposefully up to Midna, grabbed her shoulders, pulled her up to face him, and kissed her fiercely. "All right enough," he said ferociously, once the kiss ended, "to know the woman I love when I see her." Midna sniffled and threw herself onto his chest, hugging him as emphatically as her small arms allowed. "Gods, am I glad to see you..."

"Not that different from the Hero," Samus whispered to the princess, "is he?"

"No," Zelda agreed, "he is not." _She can move quietly for a woman in full armor,_ Zelda mused, though somehow she hadn't been especially surprised by the Hunter's appearance. She paused briefly. "Ridley?"

Rock – Mega Man – walked into the room, feet clanking with surprising softness against the metal floor. Samus sighed. "Gone again," she said, her free hand forming a tight fist, "but he'll feel this defeat for some time." She looked at the Hero. "Link?"

"Tired, but otherwise well." Zelda suppressed a grin. "Excuse me." Samus nodded, and the princess walked over to her Hero. Link was resting on one of the few intact consoles, Navi examining him carefully. "My Hero?"

"Some Hero," he began, but Zelda put a finger to his lips and shook her head. When he shrugged, she removed her hand with some reluctance. "The Triforce is already restoring me. I'll be ready to move in a few minutes." He gestured with his head toward Samus and Rock. "Where are Marth and Sonic?"

"Midna sensed that something had gone wrong with your team, sir," Rock explained, walking up to them, "so we split up. Marth went down to the surface to help your younger counterpart against Dragmire. Sonic ran towards the front of the ship to help Tetra and Solid Snake." He pointed towards the bridge. "The rest of us kept on this way. We were hoping we'd find you. Where's Luigi?"

"Well away from here with his princess, gods willing," Link said emphatically. "What a mess."

"'No battle plan ever,'" Samus began, and she and Link finished the quote together, "'survives contact with the enemy.'" The Hunter nodded. "We're doing fine, Hero," she insisted.

Rock nodded. "Actually, as long as we don't run into any more problems like Ridley or Sigma, we can accomplish the rest of our mission fairly quickly." Link raised an eyebrow. "The engine room's not far from here. From what I've been able to tell, the thrusters and the repulsor-lift are two different systems, so we can stop the _Halberd_ without crashing it."

"Isn't he cute?" Samus said with a wry chuckle, nudging the reploid in the shoulder with her elbow. Rock blushed.

_Must be something in the water,_ Zelda thought, carefully not smiling. Her eyes flickered to meet Link's, whom she felt thinking something very similar. _Somehow, I'm not inclined to complain._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ganondorf brooded in the command chair he'd formed from the _Halberd's_ metal decks. The original, too small for anything human, remained behind his pseudo-throne. Mere hours had passed since Medusa had revealed her duplicity to him, yet it felt a longer, more claustrophobic imprisonment than a millennium in the Twilight Realm. He steepled his fingers and watched monitors flicker out just as they caught sight of the Hero of Light and his allies. _Ridley was correct about the Hunter and her azure colleague,_ he realized, twin arm cannons destroying the scrying devices they called "cameras" with pinpoint accuracy.

Another screen displayed the Hero's erstwhile companion, Mario's green-clad sibling, with his own princess in tow, heading towards the ship's bow. _Advancing, however inadvertently, on the bridge._ The Gerudo scowled. Fighting most men – the Hero aside – sat poorly with him, but destroying the absurdity on his screen would be like killing a child. _Perhaps his companion has recovered._ Given the trouble she gave Vaati, surely this Princess Daisy would afford him honorable –

Magical senses roared a warning. The Forger of Strength leaped from his throne just in time to watch an explosion envelop it with flame. A Sheikah-like figure dropped from the grating above, cursing in some strange language. _Killing Sheikah, on the other hand, is always a pleasure,_ Ganondorf thought with a dark smile, _regardless of gender._ "And what name shall I have engraved upon your marker, little man?" he asked, voice deep and menacing.

The Gerudo King watched with satisfaction as the beorc considered a disrespectful retort, then swallowed it whole. "Been tried," the man replied instead. "Everyone who did has markers of their own."

"Commendable," Ganondorf said agreeably. Then, with a roar to make his ancestors proud, he threw a ball of flame the size of his enemy at the man. It was very gratifying to watch the would-be Sheikah's eyes go wide. It was rather less so to see his target evade with Sheikah-like grace. _Could he be of the Shadow Tribe in truth?_ Ganondorf wondered briefly. _No. He does not bear the eye. He lacks the inhuman Sheikah calm._ This time, lightning formed in the monarch's hand. "Commendable," he repeated, "but irrelevant. You are but a man – a man who faces the power of the gods!"

"Why do they always want to talk me to death?" the beorc sighed. He pulled a crude pistol and fired. Ganondorf ignored the weak sling-bullets the weapon spat and threw his deadly sphere at the blue-clad warrior. He evaded again, though it was a much nearer thing this time.

A warrior's cry alerted Ganondorf to the danger just in time to turn and see Tetra coming down on him, twin blades slashing. He held out his hand and created a golden screen, but her swords carved into his shields and hammered his arm. His armor held somewhat, but the dent pressed into his flesh. The Gerudo smiled. "Excellent." He held out his hands and concentrated, and twin golden scimitars formed out of pure Power at his command. Another flicker of thought restored his armor, if not his arm. "Let us dance, little sister."

"I'm no sister of yours, murderer!" Tetra howled, attacking him again. She spun with a dancer's grace and a wolfo's ferocity, but Ganondorf was at last in his element. He parried her slashes with expert skill, then drove her back with a powerful kick. The pirate queen grunted, but righted herself quickly.

The room spun sickeningly for a moment when a explosion rocked Ganondorf's head. He turned to see the blue-clad sneak holding a large metal tube, smoking from the front end. "Holy crap," the fool said, staring at the King of Evil with wide eyes.

"Forget him, Snake!" Tetra shouted, attacking more wildly this time. Ganondorf locked blades with her, curious to hear her plan. "Deal with the bridge! I'll handle Ganondorf!"

"Will you now?" The Gerudo chuckled, amused by the woman-child who dared his wrath. Amused...and, he was forced to admit, impressed. _Her courage, at least, cannot be denied._ Ganondorf spun his scimitars, releasing the pirate's swords but forcing her back for a moment. Tetra immediately leaped back in, twirling and slashing. The monarch's smile vanished, and he watched the captain carefully. For a handful of seconds, he examined her fighting style, parrying her whirling attacks. Her style was wild, but hid a depth of cunning skill and genuine focus. _Had I been overconfident, she might have been able to provide me a genuine challenge._

Alas for the heroes he faced, Ganondorf had taken them seriously. With precise ferocity, he matched the young captain thrust for thrust, and with a quick parry and twist, he disarmed her of one blade.

Amazingly, she still held the other, and betrayed no more surprise than a simple gasp before somersaulting back and gathering magic in her now-free hand. For a moment, Ganondorf held up one sword defensively, not quite recognizing the spell, until he heard the first crackling hints of thunder and caught the smell of ozone. _The lightning ball._ His smile returned in earnest. _She_ is _almost like a sister._ It was unfortunate that he would have to –

A strange, burning force struck the King of Evil in the back. Ganondorf grunted with a twinge of pain and swivelled his head to watch Tetra and the new assailant, taking a step back to give him better visibility. The trembling figure in green was not what he expected. "Lu...igi?" he asked, the alien word escaping his lips only with difficulty.

"You...you leave'a her alone!" Luigi said, his voice shaking almost as badly as his body. Emerald fire hovered between his hands, though, pulled back in a classic martial artist's preparation for a _ki_ strike.

Ganondorf glowered at the interloper. "You show courage, at least," he intoned, annoyed, "but you dishonor _her_ bravery. She is far superior to you in the arts of war...little man!" With that, he summoned Din's Fire, a sphere of abysmal flame large enough to consume the bizarre figure's body. Luigi squealed in terror like a baby Bullbo.

A sapphire-blue streak raced into the room, and Ganondorf felt almost half a dozen cuts before he raised a shield. The streak slowed, coalescing into the animal-man Sonic. The hedgehog grinned insouciantly. "What is it about villains and talking? You guys never shut up." With that, he charged again, bouncing and diving into the Gerudo with amazing precision. Tetra closed in, blade held at the ready to one side while her lightning blazed in one hand.

"Then let my actions speak for me," Ganondorf replied. He tore a hole in the floor, revealing Sonic's ridiculous nemesis. Robotnik looked up and gaped. Metal Sonic appeared then, eyes glowing a menacing red.

"Hey, Ro-butt-nik!" Sonic called down cheerfully between attacks. "Just a sec, as soon as I punk Ganon-dork here, I'll – WHOA!" The King of Evil gripped the azure hero's legs with his telekinesis and threw Sonic into his robotic counterpart. "Hang on guys, I'll be right – no!" Sonic gasped when Ganondorf forced the metal shut, sealing the alien hero with his enemies. He was so satisfied that Tetra's lightning blast did little more than sting and disorient him, blinding him for a moment.

It was a moment too long. Behind him, an explosion's roar howled through the entire bridge. The ship rocked sickeningly, the alien warrior screaming and flying into a bulkhead. Tetra scrambled to stay on her feet. Ganondorf simply concentrated, and his power kept him upright. Another woman charged in, her strange shield-sword thrust out; she seemed largely unfazed by the rocking, but Ganondorf forced her to retreat by unleashing the fire he'd gathered. She raised her shield, which protected her from the inferno, but she was forced back to Luigi's position. "Luigi! Get up!" she shouted.

"Daisy, is that'a you?" Luigi asked drunkenly. "We should'a speak to the owners about this'a plane. The pilot's'a drunk and I still don't'a have my little bag of nuts."

While 'Daisy' shook her head in understandable frustration and disbelief, Ganondorf turned his attention back to the man called Snake. He stood next to the half-ruined ship's wheel with an arrogant grin. "You really should've kept your eye on the ball, Red."

Forcing his rage to heel, the Gerudo King merely glared at the would-be Sheikah, teeth grinding only a touch. He threw a second blast of fire at the warrior princess and her absurd companion, adding a knot of mana to ensure the blaze would continue for several seconds, then tossed his scimitar at Tetra, who parried it, only to find it dancing around her and attacking on its own. She defended ably, but was not an obstacle to him for the time being. That let Ganondorf focus his wrath on this Snake.

With a gesture, he gripped the offending fool in his power, threw him into the ceiling, then slammed him into the metal deck three times. The Gerudo distinctly heard at least four bones crack. Once Snake was groaning and barely conscious, Ganondorf tossed him casually into a bulkhead and strode towards the damaged wheel. He closed his fist, and metal groaned in protest as he forced the steering column to obey his will. _Though it gives me no pleasure,_ he thought darkly, _I_ will _bring this ship into position, and the Hero of Winds to heel. Once he and the angel are dead, this battle will be –_

The ship lurched again, the sound of dying engines echoing in the distance. Ganondorf looked to the stern. No screens or panels showed him what had occurred, but he knew all the same. _The Hero,_ he thought in frustration, but also some small relief. _Very well. Time to implement Medusa's backup plan._ The dark wizard chopped at the air and tore open the gap between dimensions. The air itself screamed in pain and protest, but the King of Evil ignored it and strode through the opening without a second thought.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rock crawled out from under the massive thruster and smiled, giving Samus a thumbs-up. The Hunter tapped her helmet and turned to regard her fellow heroes. "We're good. It'll take them hours to hook everything back up, and that's if they know what they're doing."

Light-Link nodded. "Good. All that's left is to get back to earth, then." He did not smile, however. _The Hero of Winds needs our help. Somehow, I'm sure of it._ His shield hand drifted to Zelda's, a flex of his fingers allowing him to touch hers. The feel of her hand reassured him somehow.

#I'm fine, Hero,# she sent back, her thoughts fondly patient. #Any ideas?#

The Hero of Light looked out a porthole and sighed. #Not unless Navi got a lot stronger in the last ten minutes.# His fairy companion huffed from her perch on his shoulder, but said nothing. #You've been awfully quiet, Navi,# he added, suddenly a touch concerned.

#Just feeling a little out of place,# she replied softly. #You'll think of something.#

Link nodded and returned his attention to the others. He wasn't as confident as Navi, but some possibility would present itself. It always did. _And if worst comes to worst,_ he thought, unhappy with the idea, _there's always Midna._ The Twilight Princess, still in imp form, hovered near Dalkin. Dark Hero and Dark Princess each looked fiercely determined to protect the other, and both seemed frustrated that there were no more foot soldiers to vent their fury on. Midna's power could transport their team if necessary, but that would leave Tetra's team on the paralyzed _Halberd_ without backup.

#Hm. Navi, can you contact Wind-Link's fairy companion?# Link asked.

Navi swirled into the air. #Huh. He...he doesn't have one. That's really weird.#

At that, the Hero frowned. #Can you contact him anyway? He must have been...me, us, the Hero of Time, or something like it, once.#

#Told you you'd think of something.# Navi grinned, then slowly circled Link's head like an incomplete halo while she concentrated.

Samus glanced at the Hero of Light and grinned as well. "You've got a plan."

"Just a crazy idea," Link demurred. _If it works, though, that's all that matters...Holy Farore._

He could feel Wind-Link. In a sense, he _was_ Wind-Link, Master Sword flashing, Mirror Shield flaring, the solid defense that let his three allies focus more on attacking the horde of foes they faced. "He has the Master Sword," Link whispered.

"Well done, Hero," Zelda said softly. "Can you contact them?"

Light-Link concentrated. "Not yet," he replied. "They're fighting back Dragmire's army. Give me a few moments." He sat cross-legged on the deck and concentrated on his counterpart...

_Five minutes ago._

_Link's satisfaction at seeing Dragmire's jaw drop when his sister's cannon obliterated an entire flank of his force had been bone-deep. It had vanished when the villain reached out, grabbed Tetra's gift to his family, and crushed it by simply making a fist. With a savage throw, Dragmire had simply tossed it into the sea._ We're in bad shape, _the Hero of Winds thought desperately._ If we could just catch a break...

_A helmet-shaped airship, its front looking identical to the_ Halberd's _, crushed another horde of Dragmire's Primids. The King of Evil roared his fury and threw a burst of raw power at the odd, faintly smoking lifeboat. Just before it struck, a figure in blue leaped out and streaked away, his shining sword glowing with magical power. Even as the pod exploded behind the warrior, he slashed through Moblins and Primids with stunning speed to reach Link's side in moments. Back to back, they were able to handle the interrupted onslaught with ease._ I suppose I shouldn't be so happy he's only half a head taller than me, too, _the Hero of Winds thought, feeling a touch guilty. It didn't help that before his growth spurt, Link's rescuer would have still towered head and shoulders over him. "Are you all right, Hero?" he asked, tone dryly amused yet somehow polite._

" _Yes, thank you," Link replied, tossing a bomb into a grabby Stalfos. The skeleton exploded into dark motes a second after his 'eyes' went comically wide with shock. Pit renewed his blistering assault of Light arrows from above, and the Sheikah once again reached up from below, through Shadow, to pull their enemies into the darkness. "Who_ are _you?"_

" _Marth il'Anri," the older hero replied, sounding a bit sad, "King of Altea." A quick thrust sliced a strange, inky outline of a man in half; the odd entity vanished a moment later. "I suppose you wouldn't really know me."_

" _Well, Your Majesty, I'm happy to see you either way," Link replied. Marth smiled broadly._

Light-Link forced himself out of memories and into the present.

_Now._

_Dragmire strode slowly forward, not yet attacking the heroes directly but commanding his army directly. The titanic Gerudo drove them forward ruthlessly, relentlessly, and efficiently. Light-Link felt his counterpart – who almost felt like a brother, now – redouble his efforts to drive them back. He seemed to be growing stronger, faster, as if some force was granting the Hero of Winds renewed strength._

_The Hero of Light realized with a shock that_ he _was the source of that strength. #Hear me, brother,# Light-Link sent quietly._

_Somehow, Wind-Link didn't even twitch at the contact, thrusting and slashing as if he hadn't even heard. #Thanks! How are things going on that weird ship?#_

_#We've stopped it for now,# Light-Link sent, #but we need to regroup. It looks like you're having some trouble there, though.#_

_Wind-Link nodded grimly. #No kidding. Your friend Marth's been a gift from the gods, but there's only four of us and about a thousand of them. I don't suppose you can use any of the cannons on that thing?#_

_#The whole point of stopping the_ Halberd _was to keep it from getting within firing distance,# Light-Link explained, wordlessly noting an approaching space pirate. Wind-Link took the villain out with a combination of boomerang and arrow. #Ganondorf could wipe all of you out if we got too close. I think I can help though. Let me lend you more of my strength. We seem to be harmonizing on a fundamental level.#_

_The Hero of Winds felt dubious for a moment. There were no more words, just a feeling of concern for his dimensional brother. The Hero of Light was unharmed by the communion, however. With a flicker of thought, they were One. There was no separation of Winds, Light or Time – there was only_ Link, _the Hero._

_And Link the Hero was invincible. He moved with speed that astonished Marth and power that stunned the King of Evil. The Master Sword slashed through the horde with an almost casual ease. A Darknut tried to bar his way and shattered before a single blow, as if struck by a Light Arrow. Two space pirates opened fire with their alien weapons; the Hero reflected their blasts back on them with the Mirror Shield reflexively. A knot of power appeared amidst the devastation; no communication was needed for Link to know what it was, because what "they" knew, he knew. The Hero leaped into the air and spun, unraveling the knot and absorbing its might. They/he became Oni Link redoubled, towering and invincible._

_The Ganondorf of living Hyrule appeared out of a tear in reality next to the pirate Dragmire. Ganondorf placed his hand on Dragmire's shoulder, and they shared a glance. Dragmire nodded, and together, they retreated through the rip in the fabric of Realms. Oni Link sighed in frustration, and cast about with his spiraling sword-blasts._

_The magic faded, and Link returned to his original state. For the most part, the tattered remnants of the invasion force looked around in terror and fled, some running straight into the sea. A few organized to push Marth's ship into the sea and escape. The heroes ignored them, for they were clearly no longer a threat, and simply carved through the remaining, mindless Primids within a matter of seconds._

" _That...was amazing," Pit whispered. He peered more closely. "That's both of you, isn't it?"_

_Aryll appeared by Link's side and blinked. "Brother?"_

_Link nodded. "Can we get to the_ Halberd? _If the Ganondorfs have left, they have chosen a different strategy. We must find them, and quickly."_

_The Sheikah frowned. "Transporting all three of you through Shadow, so far and across empty air, would be difficult."_

" _I think I can manage," Pit replied. "The blessings of Parthena are many." Link nodded to the angel, and Pit smoothly knelt and prayed._

_A column of light bathed them in holy glory, and the world itself shifted..._

...and Light-Link returned to himself.

Unsteadily, dizzy but strangely renewed in strength, the Hero of Light rose to his feet. He gasped wordlessly. "Link?" Navi and Zelda asked as one.

The Hero nodded to them almost absently. "The bridge," he whispered.

Midna grinned wickedly, displaying her single fang quite deliberately, and spun wildly in place. Twilight magic spun around them, and space itself bent to her will.

Fifteen of them made quite a crowd, particularly on a battle-ravaged bridge never meant to hold so many comfortably. A buzzsaw-ripped tear in the floor near Sonic indicated how he'd returned, while Pit's companions still glowed with holy light. Daisy was doting on Luigi with fond exasperation; the plumber seemed mostly recovered, but his eyes were still a bit unfocused and he seemed to think someone owed him a bag of peanuts. Snake was likewise woozy, though rather less absurd, and was considerably improved after the gift of a potion from Wind-Link and some attention from Tetra and her magic.

"Okay, we're all back together," Marth said authoritatively, and the crowd quieted considerably. _There are advantages to having a king on the team,_ Light-Link mused, _though I have to imagine Zelda's leaving this to him to avoid bruising Tetra's ego._ "We have a vessel and useful armament. What we don't have is a heading. Any ideas?"

Rock cleared his throat politely. "I can get the engines up and running fairly quickly, but I don't think they're in this dimension any more."

"They traveled through the gap between dimensions," Midna replied with conviction. "I can follow them." She briefly looked less sure of herself. "Even I would have trouble with a ship this size, though."

"Perhaps alone," Zelda pointed out, striding up to the Twilight Princess and smiling. "Which, I assure you, you are not." Link felt love and pride his heart could barely hold.

Pit flew over and nodded in agreement. "Between the three of us, I am confident we can manage with ease."

"Your goddess managed rather handily a minute ago," Midna agreed, voice pleasant. She chewed lightly at her lip, though.

The angel's lips tightened. "That was Her power, true," he said quietly, "but She was not directly involved. I fear that Medusa has begun her offensive. We must hurry." Pit strode to the damaged wheel and touched it gently. "Where are we going?"

Mdina swallowed. "Hyrule Field. Eldin Province."

Link and Zelda gasped as one. Deathly cold fingers seemed to brush against the Hero's spine. The princess immediately strode to Pit's side, looking out the great bridge windows at the endless sky and sea before them. Midna zipped to Zelda's other side. Together, they focused, gathering magic, will and divine power around them.

Outside, the light began refracting, like a sunbeam through rain. The colors grew and intensified, until the whole world seemed to be made of rainbow glory. Link stared in awe, but Zelda's eyes were focused on something mere sight could not fathom. Wind-Link and Tetra clasped hands.

In a flash, the light vanished, and Hyrule Field stretched out before them, Kakariko Village to their right and Death Mountain looming dead ahead. The great volcano belched dark clouds, a menacing, familiar ring circling the peak. "Gods," Dalkin whispered.

Sonic raced up a ladder and popped open a hatch, disappearing to look from atop the ship. A few seconds later, he stuck his head back down and shouted, "Hey, you guys better come look at this!"

Link was somehow first to the ladder and vaulted up two steps at a time. Zelda appeared by Farore's Wind a moment later. As they watched, a small dark point on the mountain's caldera howled and roared, then grew into a more recognizable shape. A titanic boar-man rose there. His blue-green skin, mane of red hair, and massive twin blades of gold were horrifically familiar. He laughed at the heavens. "There is no Mandrag," he cried in triumph. "I am GANON!" The Hero of Light knew somehow that the figure they watched had been Dragmire, not 'their' Ganondorf, but the thought brought no comfort. "Let the realms of gods tremble and the lands of the earth bend knee, or all shall be riven in fire and darkness!" Again, he laughed.

Reality tore behind them, and Hero and princess alike whirled, weapons and magic at the ready. Midna was already there, power coursing around her. Dalkin stood at her side, arrow pulled as taut as his snarl of fury. Tetra leaped up and landed to their side, scimitars drawn, and Wind-Link scrambled up the ladder to catch up.

Ganondorf strode through the tear in the realm and regarded the mighty gathering of heroes calmly. "We are all of us betrayed," he said evenly, almost casually. He folded his arms and locked eyes with the Hero. "All that is, is doomed. Subspace will consume us all."

For a moment, Link suspected some trick, some brilliant scheme to catch them all unaware. The look in Ganondorf's eyes, admission of defeat but not surrender to it – the same look he'd had with the Master Sword through his heart – convinced him otherwise. Almost unwillingly, Link looked back to where Ganon screamed out his challenge to existence itself.

Behind Ganon, a strange figure of swirling Light appeared, like some terrible emissary of destruction. He smiled mockingly and bowed. Above him, a beautiful, terrible woman with venom-green skin and serpents for hair towered above them both, some thirty feet tall from the waist up. She raised her hands to the sky, and a terrible rain of fell creatures streaked down from the clouds around her. Medusa but laughed.

Link gripped the Blade of Evil's Bane in his sword hand, and Zelda's hand with the other. He stared grimly at the nightmare ahead. "Not if we can help it."


	11. Part II, Chapter Four: Heart of Darkness & Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Lady Firebird: I am still in the process of copying this here from another site. As such, some errors may have been introduced in terms of punctuation or coding. Please don't hold these against the Firebird_X. :-)
> 
> This notice will be removed once we've had a chance to do a final copyedit.

### Chapter Four: Heart of Darkness

_The past._

_Link traded sword-strokes with his Shadow, the fell creature moving as swiftly and fluidly as ever. Around them, Sheik and Zelda danced amongst Stalfos, pounding them into piles of bone or blasting them to shards respectively. On an altar in the heart of the twisted temple, Young Link thrashed in chains, desperately trying to free himself. "Hang on, Link," Sheik called out, using a Stalfos' head as a vaulting point to leap past several others. One Shadow-shift later, she was on the altar beside him, using a Sheikah needle to pick the lock on his left wrist. "Zelda, keep them off us," she said calmly._

_Zelda teleported to Sheik's side, knocking the undead soldiers away with her magically-enhanced fists and feet. "Link?" she asked._

" _Still working on it," Link grunted between sword blows._

_Shadow Link smiled cruelly at him. "You're losing, Hero," he whispered, his voice the rustle of cold wind through dry, dead leaves. "Once I'm done with you, I'll kill your Zelda and claim Sheik for myself. The brat will be my flesh, the princess, the fist I will grip Hyrule in."_

" _You talk too much," Link shot back, unleashing his Spin Attack. It shattered two approaching Stalfos and drove Shadow Link back a pace._

_The dark figure regarded the Hero more carefully, smile already vanished. "That sword. You and that searing sword. It's time to–"_

_Link leaped at his Shadow – or perhaps his young counterpart's, he never knew – and locked swords with him. "DIN'S FIRE!" he roared. Shadow Link screamed while the fierce flames tore into wounds the Master Sword had already opened._

_The Hero fell to one knee, but the foul creature was gone. "Told you...you talk too much," he said, breathing heavily. His own wounds, long ignored, insisted on recognition then._

" _Wrong," Shadow Link howled, rising from Link's literal shadow, sword raised to plunge into the Hero's back. A familiar battle-cry, higher pitched but very much Link's, interrupted the Shadow's attack. Link turned to see the monster staring at a golden blade sticking out the front of his chest._

" _Back!" Young Link shouted at his Shadow. "Go back where you came from, monster!" Again, the villain screamed; again, he vanished. This time, he did not return. Young Link landed lightly on his feet, brandishing his golden blade and Terminan shield menacingly, but there was no need. The Stalfos all collapsed, the magic animating them simply fading away. Sheik leaped to his side and hugged the lad, who squirmed in embarrassment._

" _Thanks," Link said simply, standing slowly. Young Link nodded in mid-squirm, not saying anything in response, but the older Hero knew that the boy was thanking him in kind all the same._ He's just too busy trying to escape, _the Hero of Time mused. He drank a blue potion thirstily, feeling better almost immediately._

_Zelda appeared by Link's side and smiled fondly. "All's well that ends well?"_

_Link nodded, Navi flying back under his hat in relief. "Indeed." #I'm especially glad that you and...Sheik...worked out your differences.#_

_Zelda nodded back. #I think it helps her accept what happened, that she and I are so different,# the princess explained. #Our_ worlds _are so different.#_

_The Hero returned his attention to their counterparts. Sheik was no longer hugging Young Link, much to the latter's relief. She was examining him instead, down on one knee, looking him over physically and magically. #I just hope that their world can heal its wounds.# He smiled at Zelda. #It was my world once, after all.#_

_His princess hugged him. Link decidedly did not squirm. #It still is, for a part of you. I can accept that now,# she replied. #Indeed, I hope that in a sense, it always will be.# For a long moment, the Hero regarded Sheik and Young Link, a feeling of family long-lost rediscovered filling him. At last, he nodded. #Good. Let's go home,# Zelda sent. #Leave adventuring for another time.#_

_They both grinned at that._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The present.

"Rock, get those engines working!" Samus shouted down. The rapidly fading sound of metal feet on metal trailed off towards the stern.

Zelda stared, transfixed, at the horror before them. _This makes Zant's invasion look like a skirmish by comparison,_ she thought, pulled between terror and numbness.

"Why?" she heard Link ask. That brought the princess out of her reverie, and she turned. Her Hero was facing Ganondorf, for some reason, eyes boring into the former King of Evil as if he could learn some truth from inside him.

Strangely, the Gerudo smiled. "That," he drawled, "is a rather broad question, Hero. Perhaps you could narrow the subject somewhat."

Link pointed at Death Mountain. "Her. You wanted what you believed was your birthright, if the stories portray you truly. Ganon is driven by love twisted by hate – tragic, but understandable. Ridley is greed. Sigma is fear and bigotry. The Koopa King is obsession masquerading as love. Medusa...I don't understand her. How could you follow her? Why does she hate us? _What does she want?"_

"Her ambition is not limited to one dimension, Hero," Ganondorf said quietly, glancing away. "Medusa wants...everything."

Zelda strode forward, not entirely sure what drove her. "No," she replied gently. "Medusa is...empty. She has lost that spark of empathy, of understanding others. Now, all Medusa can share _is_ that emptiness, and she means to inflict it on the reality that she blames for her loss."

The Hero of Light frowned, then turned, his expression more grim than ever. "Samus," he said simply.

"Rock's working on it!" the Hunter shouted back from below. Zelda was mildly surprised – and a touch hopeful. _That sounded a bit defensive,_ she thought even as Link nodded. _Perhaps she and the 'Mega Man' have shared more than just adventure._

"Midna? Ganondorf?" he continued evenly.

The imp snorted. "The _Halberd's_ a little big for me," she retorted. "Maybe the big shot King of Evil here can do something."

Ganondorf paused for a moment, then nodded. "I cannot move this vessel alone, not now," he said, and Zelda activated her mystical senses immediately in response, "but perhaps I can aid you, that we might provide the power together." He pointed his arm at Midna, fingers outstretched. Mana rippled. Zelda gasped.

_He's dying,_ she realized. Ganondorf had woven a knot of mana, not unlike one of Luigi's Smash Balls, to sustain himself. It was slowly unraveling, though, and it seemed clear that he wasn't going to last more than a few hours. His condition was also affecting his sorcery; after several seconds' effort, he exhaled explosively and dropped his arm in frustration.

Strangely, Midna grinned. "Can't hack it, huh? Serves you right." Dalkin, standing by her side, chuckled in spite of himself.

"You will regret my ebbing strength," Ganondorf said with a scowl, folding his arms imperiously, "when the battle begins. Remember, we are allies now, against a common foe."

Dalkin's humor vanished in a whirlwind of protective fury. "Sure, until we defeat Medusa," he shot back harshly, hand flying to his sword hilt. "I'm watching you, King of Evil. Remember that."

Even more strange than Midna's grin was Ganondorf's quiet laugh, as dry and harsh as the desert that spawned him. "Worry about the future when it comes, Dark Hero. If we live to see the sunrise, then we can turn on one another." Zelda's eyes flickered to the west in spite of herself. It was, inevitably, twilight. _He'll be lucky to survive past midnight._ For some reason, in spite of all the pain and misery Ganondorf had caused, the thought saddened her.

With a lurch, the mighty ship came to life, rockets flaring and sending them flying towards their fate. Link and Zelda stumbled into each other, holding on to one another for support.

Samus leaped up with the help of her Screw Attack, landing atop the roof handily. She smiled calmly at them, hand resting lightly on her cannon. "He did it. You should get below." The Hunter spared a brief glance for Ganondorf, then returned her attention to the Hylians. "You okay?"

The princess nodded. "I thought he said it would take them hours."

"He knew where to go." Samus gestured at the hatch. "We have to make preparations. This ride's going to get a lot rougher before it smooths out."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ike stared at Death Mountain, feeling the calm that came from having passed through fear to the certainty of doom. Behind him, Hyrule Castle seemed to glow golden in the sunset's light. "Soren?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We're ready," Soren replied, his voice as cool and reserved as he'd ever heard it. "For the transportation spell, of course," he added, threading a droll gallow's humor into his tone. "This army isn't ready for a pack of Bulblins, let alone...that." He gestured at the rain of horror falling unnaturally slowly around the great volcano.

"It will be," Ike replied firmly. "It _must_ be." He gripped his sword and strode towards the gathered soldiers. Gorons, Zoras, Hylians and his own beorcs had mustered, all of them trying to look casual when they were clearly terrified. Even the Gorons looked frightened, and Ike would have bet they'd watch the Evil Realm open up atop them and laugh. _Then again, the Evil Realm_ has _opened up on top of us._

Soren snorted. "Well, if anyone can turn this mob into an army..." he shrugged and opened his spellbook. "We'll have to land in Kakariko. To make this spell work I have to piggy-back off those portals the Twili left behind."

"That's good," Ike replied. "The spring will make a good aid station." He gripped his hilt tightly. A gentle breeze rippled through the grass. The Emblem Lord tried not to think about how many good men and women were about to die. He approached them, looking confident, calm and self-assured, and feeling none of those things. "Warriors of Hyrule! Invasion is upon us, yet we are ready! Stand firm, and we shall all see the dawn together!" Their cheer was ragged, but sincere.

"Close enough," Ike whispered to Soren. The diminutive sorcerer nodded. The Emblem Lord dearly wished to hold Soren before they left, but dared not show weakness to an already skittish army. "Go."

Soren winked at him instead, and Ike's heart lightened even as his brilliant strategist began the ritual. He expected something to happen, the invasion to reach the castle before it was complete, some sabotage or horror to strike, but the spell went off without a hitch, and they were all pulled into the sky and dropped unceremoniously in and around the spring. The Zoras appeared behind them and the Gorons ahead. Kakarikans were already fighting and fleeing, some screaming in terror as the nightmare they thought had ended was reborn above them. The shaman used strange magics to repel the beasts and Primid golems, while one of the merchants threw bombs by the armful into the legions.

Ike drew his sword. "Charge!" he roared, and they did. The Gorons with him rolled through the invaders, joining with their local brethren to crush the monsters with ease. The Zoras lent bursts of magical force to the effort, while Hylians and his own folk laid into the enemy with sword and bow. They soon fought their way to the path up Death Mountain.

"Soren, form a line here. I want to ensure no more of those creatures endanger the civilians." The mage scowled but obeyed. Ike prayed that he was making a tactically sound decision and not an emotional one. "Pardon me, sir," he said to the approaching shaman, "are you in charge here?"

"I am Renado, general," the older man replied, bowing. "I think 'in charge' would be a bit of a stretch, but until a new mayor is chosen, Kakariko seeks my guidance."

"Close enough," Ike said, already feeling weary. "I need you to separate the civilians into two groups: those able to bring supplies to the rearguard, and everyone else. The second group is to retreat to the most defensible location in the village. The first is to be divided evenly between the bomb shop and the general store, to deliver supplies to my men."

Renado bowed again. "It will be done."

"Thank you," Ike said, bowing back a bit clumsily.

The bomb-thrower waddled forward, looking irritated. "Now just a minute! How am I –"

" _Barnes,"_ Renado said harshly. "Do...not." The smaller man's eyes widened and his jaw fell. Barnes' welding mask dropped over his face with a thump.

A toddler in Ordon garb waddled up to them. "You needn't worry, general," he said curtly, though with a strength that belied his size and apparent age. Ike blinked. "I'll make sure your men get the supplies they need."

"Thank you, Malo," Renado said, sounding surprised.

Ike nodded and strode towards the path up Death Mountain. He gestured, and two squads, one of Gorons and one of beorcs led by Titania, fell in beside and behind him. Farther back, he heard Barnes whisper to Malo, "What's gotten into you? I've never seen you give anyone anything without counting to the last rupee first!"

"Link's a good man, but he used to be a bad credit risk," Malo replied evenly. "I am not particularly worried about Princess Zelda avoiding proper compensation. Are you?"

Ignoring the two after conceding the absurdity a sigh, he marched forward. The rest of the military set up in the bottleneck behind him. _The invaders won't get far,_ Ike thought, _but we won't win this just playing defense._ Primids poured down the path towards them, moving like a river of molasses. He drew his sword with a flourish and held it up. When the Primids were close enough, he plunged it into the ground, consuming them all in fire. He pulled it out and pointed at the next wave. "Attack!"

The war had begun.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Light-Link spared a glance for his younger counterpart. Wind-Link looked calm. Somehow, the Hero of Light was sure that Wind-Link's serenity was only somewhat more real than his own, but it was admirable all the same. Then he returned his attention to the bridge windows, the rapidly approaching volcano dominating the view. Light-Link gripped the hilt of the Master Sword, hoping the Power to Repel Evil would be some good against the nightmare before them. Midna forced the broken wheel to turn with her telekinesis, guided in her effort by the Hunter. _They've become an impressive team,_ the Hero of Light decided.

The shadow loomed large over the mountain, but the "rain" of monsters had finally thinned out. Hordes of foes still teemed around the ancestral Goron home, but their numbers appeared to be stabilizing. Ganon had already taken charge of the vanguard, while Ridley and Sigma appeared to be reinforcing their control over the conquered terrain. Towering above them all was the dark goddess Medusa, both beautiful and hideous, her arms longer than the _Halberd_ itself. The serpents that replaced her hair writhed hungrily, crimson eyes glowing above fangs which dripped with luminous green venom. A golden pendant of some sort hung around her neck, a strange, eldritch glow surrounding it.

With a suddenness that shattered the air, the _Halberd's_ cannons opened fire. Death Mountain turned into a conflagration that had nothing to do with the volatile lava within. The door opened behind them a few seconds later; Link turned to see Rock run back in, grinning, a spherical knight of sorts beside him. His helmet was identical to the one adorning the _Halberd._ "I found some help," Mega Man said simply.

"Thieves," the diminutive warrior rumbled. He and Ganondorf exchanged a cold glare, then ignored one another, the Gerudo watching the approaching mountain impassively, the knight joining Midna and Samus.

The gunfire quickly drew Medusa's attention. She glared hatefully, then pointed at the ship. Half a dozen serpents flew from her scalp, snaking through the air at the mighty ship. Before any of the heroes could do more than take two steps, the snakes struck the _Halberd,_ encircling the ship. They squeezed and bit, the venom sizzling loudly enough to be heard over the roar of the engines. The hull groaned and buckled, and the deck lurched, forcing everyone to struggle to stay upright.

"Abandon ship!" Zelda commanded. She, Midna and Ganondorf all gestured, and their combined psychic might surrounded the heroes in a field of raw force. Samus and Rock shot the hatch away, and the trio pulled the entire team out of the bridge and dropped onto the edge of the mountain spring that was the heart of Goron society. Above them, the _Halberd_ crashed into the mountainside, destroying dozens more of their foes. The Hero of Light spared it a brief moment of consideration. _It looks salvageable,_ he decided. The damage looked severe, but not unsurmountable – at least, if there was anyone left alive to repair the ship.

Then the horde attacked them from all sides, and there was nothing to do but stand and fight. The enemy was everywhere, their numbers uncountable, but they were as weak and mindless as ever. Together, the heroes formed a circle and easily pushed them back.

"Look," Marth shouted over the din, pointing down the mountain with his sword. A Primid apparently believed that was an opening an attacked. The legendary monarch cut it in half with a casual swipe. "Our foes are divided. Reinforcements must be working their way up the mountain."

"That's'a not all!" Luigi cried out, pointing up at the caldera. There, A titanic, monstrously mutated Bowser and his huge army fought a short, bouncing red-and-blue figure who led several others. "The other Smashers! They're here!"

Wind-Link became a whirling golden buzzsaw, tearing through entire squads of minions. When he came to a stop, eyes whirling dizzily, he stumbled back. Tetra leaped in front of him, protecting the Hero of Winds from the rush of foes charging at him. "It still looks like...whoa...we've got to deal with Ganon...and Medusa." He clutched his head briefly, then waded into the fray again, fighting back to back with the pirate captain. "Hey, is that Dragmire the pirate, or Ganon the demon? He doesn't feel that different."

Ganondorf swung his blades, and waves of power burst from him. More than thirty Primids, space pirates and koopas went flying. (Moblins refused to go near the Gerudo King.) "He is – or was – Dragmire. While he has drawn on the power and likeness of the foul one, he is the same foe you have fought before." Together, the group started moving slowly up the mountain. "My counterpart has given in to his madness."

"That's a problem," Light-Link replied, his voice revealing his grim feeling. "If the real Ganon remains for Medusa to summon, we could be walking into a trap."

"You have already walked into the trap, fool," the figure of swirling Light said derisively, casting a mocking gaze on them all as he floated down towards them. Violet wings that looked like they had been drawn into existence through a sorcerous calligraphy extended from his back, though they did not flap to keep him aloft. Behind the terrible angel, the Dark Clone army had gathered. Shadow Link, Dark Samus, Blood Falcon...they all looked down from their perch near the caldera and leered at the heroes. "I am Taboo. I am Pit's...counterpart."

Pit glared back at Taboo defiantly. "You will not stop me from ending Medusa's invasion." His Light arrows pierced Primid after Primid, shattering them into motes of shadow. "I bear the blessing of mighty Parthena, and all the power your dark matron can muster is no match for that."

Taboo laughed. "I am not some mere replica, weakling – no Pit through the glass darkly, I. Holy Medusa created me to be superior to you in every way. Behold!" The fallen angel grew until he filled the sky, and his head crushed most of remaining Primid army. Beams of light shot from his eyes, searing Ganondorf and scattering the others. The Gerudo hissed in pain but reached Light-Link's side, clutching a long burn scarring his chest. Taboo shrank back to his still-impressive height. "As for your precious Goddess of Light..." he smirked and gestured upward at the pendant Medusa wore. Pit looked up and gasped in horror.

Light-Link, feeling his stomach fill with lead, donned the Hawkeye mask and followed the angel's gaze. Chained to the golden ring was Parthena Herself, spreadeagled within it as an adornment. Even to his novice mage's senses, it was clear that Medusa was drawing power from her ancient foe. "My power," Taboo continued relentlessly, "is so far beyond yours as to be incomparable. You, angel, will die." The angel of befouled Light turned his gaze to the others, taking them in with a confidence the Hero hoped was undeserved. "The rest of you may yield, however. Medusa might yet spare your miserable lives."

Both Links brandished their Master Swords defiantly. The others reacted in similar fashion, though Light-Link suspected that Snake's odd gesture was vulgar. Taboo laughed even more mockingly than before. "So be it. Her Holiness salutes your courage, though not your wisdom. KILL THEM!" Taboo roared, and the Dark Clones ran down at them, howling and roaring with a ferocity matched only by their hatred. Dark Samus led them, but Shadow Link was not far behind.

Link's lips tightened when he saw a replica he hadn't expected – a Shadow Ganondorf on a demonic horse, wielding a spear-like trident. #Phantom Ganon,# Navi corrected mentally. #Watch him, he's a dangerous one.#

The Hero of Light nodded, sliding smoothly into a ready stance. Each of them was choosing a foe, though few of them were as obvious as attacking the heroes that had inspired their creations. Dark Samus was bearing down on Rock, the Mega Man, while a black-armored figure much like Rock was charging at the Hunter. A red and black duplicate of Sonic was zooming towards Luigi. A copy of Snake ran towards Captain Falcon above them.

Of more immediate concern were Shadow Link and Phantom Ganon, who were charging down at them. Ganon himself strode behind them, the ground shaking with each step he took. #Hm. Navi, Zel, is Phantom Ganon heading towards me?#

#That is how it appears,# Zelda agreed, #though we should be ready for some deception.# Navi signaled her concurrence by racing over to the horseman, glowing bright yellow above his head. Link nodded and braced himself. _If I leap and spin just as the spear hits my shield,_ he thought, eyes fixed on the murderous figure bearing down on him, _that should give me the advantage. I may even be able to knock him off his steed._

Just before impact, Phantom Ganon shed several far more ghostly figures, all resembling the duplicates Ganondorf had summoned when they'd fought on Eldin Field. They flew at several others, including Zelda, while the primary Phantom remained focused on the Hero. Link forced himself not to be distracted, leaping and spinning on cue. His undead foe howled in pain at the Master Sword's touch and flew off his horse on impact. #Zel?#

#I'm fine,# she replied, tossing balls of Din's Fire at her foe. #Stop him.# Link nodded and strode towards the false Ganon, spinning the sword once as he approached.

Phantom Ganon glared at the Hero of Light. "It has been a long time, Chosen One," he intoned dramatically. He floated into the air and spun his trident, a sphere of burning power forming around its tip. "I have been looking forward to this for a long time. A very long time."

Link approached his enemy warily, saying nothing, loping forward while circling the creature. #Navi?# he sent.

A strange but familiar feeling wove through his thoughts. The fairy's mind felt crystalline and incisive where it had been fluid and intuitive. #Phantom Ganon: this spirit from beyond is more than he seems. Turn his own evil against him!# Link nodded. _I've played this game before._ He closed the distance with more confidence.

The sight of his inhuman counterpart closing with Ganondorf gave Link pause. The erstwhile King of Evil hefted his twin blades, smiled his cool, imperious smile, and beckoned Shadow Link to come at him with a single wave of a blade. The doppelganger obliged with a madman's smile and a rage-filled battlecry. For a moment, the Hero hesitated. _Nothing left to do,_ he decided, _but see this through to the end._ Refusing to consider just how final the end might be, he darted at Phantom Ganon and slashed. The villain literally flew back, then fired the blast of power at the Hero. Link parried it with the Master Sword, and their eternal duel began anew.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ganondorf watched impassively while Shadow Link loped towards him. It was remarkable to watch all that was similar – and different – between the Hero and his Shadow, revealed in body language. The economy of motion that hid so much skill and power, the seemingly fearless demeanor that could not be faked by those who let fear grip their hearts, the unshakeable focus in what passed for the creature's eyes, the ancient warrior remembered them all from his mighty foe. It was the bloodlust in its eyes that accompanied the focus, the gleaming smile with a knife's edge, and the anticipation that made the inky sword quaver in the construct's hand, that reflected its opposition to all the Hero held dear.

"You never beat the Hero, Ganon-dork," Shadow Link said, chuckling through a sneer. "He kicked your sorry can, and he played nice. What makes you think you can beat _me?"_

The Gerudo King laughed. "You? The Hero barely defeated me in the fullness of his power, wielding the Blade of Evil's Bane, touched by the Triforce itself. You are nothing but a pale imitation, darkling, and I will enjoy crushing you under heel." The Shadow-man's smile vanished, replaced in a heartbeat with snarling rage. _Too easy, that,_ Ganondorf mused. _Despite my words, this battle will not be._

Shadow Link leaped at him with a deadly lunge, intending to end their duel at its outset. A single thrust through the heart, undoing the bound spell holding him upright. Ganondorf parried with one blade and slashed with the other; it would not, of course, be that easy. The anti-Hero blocked with his shield, and their dance began.

In a way, Ganondorf felt light, elated. This duel felt pure as so few before had. _Having no future gives an eerie life to the present,_ he thought, scimitar turning aside dark blade. He smiled a wolf's smile, a lion's smile, predatory and hungry. A second slash bounced off the creature's shield, but nicked his leg. No blood spilled out, but a charcoal mist wafted briefly from the cut. Shadow Link danced back, favoring the leg. "Sear me. No one that big should be that fast."

"You, of all beings, should know better," Ganondorf mocked, striding forward. This time, when Shadow Link struck, he parried, pushed the shield aside with his off-hand blade, and kicked. His half-real foe went flying, then vanished in a rock's shadow. Frowning, the Gerudo King turned an eye to his own shadow, but the anti-Hero leaped from another nearby cliffside and slashed him across the back. "And so you do..." _Always thinking. Sear him._

Once more, they circled one another. Ganondorf hefted the scimitars, spinning them in his hands. Strangely, the painful gash gave him focus, and he smiled again. For the first time in far too long, he felt like a Gerudo, like he was what he was meant to be, what he had been born to be. This time, he took the initiative, darting at Shadow Link. The doppelganger stumbled back in alarm, not so much frightened as caught off guard, but it was enough to get the monarch past the impressive defense. One scimitar beat both sword and shield down, and the other carved a long, deep gash across Shadow Link's chest. Shadow Link spun and left a thin cut along Ganondorf's abdomen, but the timeless warrior would have taken that trade gladly even had he not been dying.

A great cloud of smoke erupted from the living shadow's wound, though it thinned out quickly. Pain, rage, and – at long last – a hint of fear all showed on the Shadow-man's face. "I'll kill you," he snarled, circling more clumsily than before. "I can be recreated. The same can't be said for you."

Ganondorf chuckled again, the pain receding through an act of will. "I have been struck down by Heroes before. The thought holds no fear for me." They charged at each other simultaneously, sparks flying as sword met sword and blade notched shield. Their noses almost touching, Shadow Link bared his teeth at Ganondorf, who merely grinned back. Feeling the silhouette shift against his scimitars, Ganondorf guessed that Shadow Link was about to attempt a desperate lunge to end the duel instantly. _Not a bad idea,_ he thought mildly. Together, they disengaged and lunged.

Each had plunged his sword through the other's chest. "You..." Shadow Link hissed. "...you'll see me...again," he gasped, started to fall over, then vanished into square motes of darkness that fell into the sky.

"No doubt," Ganondorf said with a small sigh. He forced the wound closed, watching impassively while duplicate Shadow Links vanished from where they were fighting Dalkin and Midna. _Hm. Only three. Logical, given the numerological importance...but I was expecting four._ Still, no fourth Shadow Link was manifest anywhere, either in presence or by disappearance. His eyes flickered expertly across the Hylians' portion of the battlefield. Zelda, Dalkin and Midna now each fought a replica of Phantom Ganon, much like the ghostly figures he'd conjured on Eldin Field what seemed like a lifetime ago. The Hero of Light fought the original, who was mounted once more. The Hero of Winds and his pirate companion did battle with a fearsome, titanic Ganon. Even to Ganondorf's fading wizard-sight, it was clear that the boar-like figure was his counterpart transformed rather than the ancient, imprisoned demigod, but that hardly improved matters for the young heroes. Briefly, the thought pulled his gaze back to Phantom Ganon. A misty cord seemed to stretch from his back into some distant infinity... _No. Even Medusa is not that powerful, not yet._ Regardless, something needed to be done.

Ganondorf dismissed the twin blades, conjured from raw power as they were. He brought his hands up, then together, and concentrated on the needs of the moment. With that, he vanished.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zelda cupped her hands together loosely, then thrust them forward. The translucent figure of Phantom Ganon flew back, tumbling away from her. The princess took the opportunity to teleport towards her Hero again. _Slow going, but I'm almost there._ Together, they would defeat that decrepit phantom, and then they could help Pit.

Briefly, she let her attention flicker to where the heroic little angel fought his vast, powerful counterpart. Zelda immediately wished she hadn't when Taboo cast forth waves of power, throwing several other heroes aside like toys and slamming Pit into the mountainside. _Din, Nayru, Farore, be with him,_ she prayed. Her own phantom's phantom rose from the ground, wheeling about on its spectral horse to charge at her again. _Please, be with us all._

Using Nayru's Love to drive the fiendish thing back again, she turned her gaze to Link, who forced his mounted foe back with a bomb arrow. It was heartening to see her Hero doing so well under the circumstances, but it was still a desperate battle. What was truly strange to the Princess of Wisdom was that such a creature should not have presented so great a challenge to the Hero, not at the pinnacle of his skill and power as he was now. _What has Medusa done to...no. Oh, gods, no._

Malevolence from the Evil Realm itself poured from across the Realms into the Phantom Ganon Link faced. It was no more than a puppet, and the massive string led to the true Ganon, safe in its prison. _I have to do something, and quickly._ Noting that her sparring partner was already reconstituting itself, Zelda leaped into the air and transformed into Sheik.

Though the cord of foul energy was not of actual Shadow, it bore enough of a resemblance to stand out to the woman, now Sheikah, who darted almost invisibly towards it. Pulsing like a hose filled with living venom, it shifted and writhed in the air behind Phantom Ganon. Mercifully, the duplicate phantom had lost sight of her, and was circling futilely looking for a target. For a moment, Sheik was worried that it would target Ganondorf, until she realized that the villain was gone. _Great. Either he died or turned coward at last._ She shook off the momentary rise of despair within her. _No. We can still do this._ A volley of Light Arrows flared in her peripheral vision, and her heart soared to see Pit driving Taboo back, the godlike villain's power failing before the angel's determination and speed. A spinning blade to the creature's face drove Medusa's champion back. _An excellent example. Now to play my part._ She darted out of the shadows behind Phantom Ganon, who was riding Link down. Her chain lashed out, caught the conduit, and squeezed.

Even Sheikah magic could not hold the strange flow for long, but even that temporary assault had distracted the monstrous thing. He flailed in his saddle, slowing nearly to a halt as he lost control of the demonic steed. _It was as if he'd been choked._ Her chain having already slipped free, Sheik leaped back and away, landing lightly on a stone outcropping. Throwing needles appeared between her fingers. Link gasped and ran towards Phantom Ganon with alacrity. "You will regret that, Shadow Tribe," the phantom menace intoned.

Aryll chose that moment to dart into the battle, her movements austere and fierce even for one of the Sheikah. "No," she replied curtly, "she will not." The young woman's hand flashed out, and an explosion of Shadow struck the phantom in the face. Sheik's jaw dropped. _That was the Shadow Heart! How..._ For a moment, Zelda bubbled to the surface, and Aryll smiled at her – only it wasn't exactly Aryll. "There is much to be done, Little Princess," Impa said through Aryll's lips, her shadow of a smile echoing through Link's sister. "Best to be about it." With that, she vanished once more. The tableau remained frozen for a moment, Sheik, Link, and the phantom alike all stunned by the legendary Sheikah's 'arrival.'

An explosion of air halted them before they could begin again. Ganondorf was there, holding Epona's reins. "It appears," he said dryly, "that you could use this, Hero." Link nodded his thanks, ran up to the great mare, and leaped into her saddle. He patted the side of her neck, and Epona snorted. She was eyeing Ganondorf dubiously, but it seemed that warrior and steed had come to a temporary understanding, as he had with so many others.

Phantom Ganon chuckled. It sounded very much like Ganondorf's had. "Amusing. You wish to match your riding skills against mine? I welcome it! Hyah!" The Hero met that cry with one of his own, and they charged at one another with abandon. Sword and spear flashed in the air, neither striking to notable effect. They wheeled around for a second pass. All other foes avoided them.

Ganondorf strode calmly to Sheik's side. They watched while the pair readied themselves to ride at each other again. "What would you have us do," he asked evenly, "once your Hero wins?"

"You sound as confident as I," Sheik noted.

The two master horsemen spurred their steeds, tearing toward one another at full gallop. "Should he lose," the villain noted dryly, "there is little else to discuss. Even should he win, however, I am at something of a loss. What can even such as we do against the power of Medusa?"

Sheik chuckled while the Master Sword bit into Phantom Ganon's side, the spear slashing but lightly at Link's shoulder. "With our bonds to the Triforce and the Hero wielding the Power to Repel Evil? I know not how much we can offer to Parthena's champion, but surely it will count for something." She threw her needles to one side, puncturing an approaching Primid. It dispersed into motes of velvet darkness.

Again, Hero and Phantom came about to ride each other down. "Perhaps," Ganondorf conceded. His eyes flickered to Dalkin and Midna, dueling twin phantoms with precise teamwork. "Should we aid them?" He threw a scimitar into a space pirate who'd been eyeing them. It screeched with an inhuman wail and collapsed. A gesture brought the sword back to his hand.

Sheik chuckled and shook her head. "I'd not deprive them of their battle just now." Midna swept her foe aside with a swipe of her hand-like hair, while Dalkin used a Spin Attack to disintegrate his.

"Mmm. They are enjoying themselves," Ganondorf agreed, "are they not? And they do fight well, almost like one warrior in two bodies." Link and Phantom Ganon crashed against each other again, this time coming to a halt so sudden bones quivered at the shock. Ganon's spear was stuck in the Hero's side, but the Blade of Evil's Bane had cleaved the phantom's head down to his shoulders. The foul creature tried to say something through ruined lips, but only a gurgling snarl came out before it vanished into darkness. Link pulled out the trident with a grunt, and then it, too, disappeared.

The Hero spurred Epona and turned her about to face the calmly speaking pair. Wordlessly, he held the Master Sword up, then pointed it at Taboo. Sheik exhaled through her nose. _Bloody Hero. Wish he'd drink a potion..._ She knew, of course, he was using them sparingly, but that gave her little comfort. Ganondorf merely nodded and hefted his swords. "Let us dance, then, one more time. 'Death is inevitable. Only life is a choice.'"

"A Gerudo saying? From you?" Sheik asked in surprise.

The Gerudo's smile was strange, even for him. "Perhaps I am feeling nostalgic," he said, his tone only hinting at irony. "Come. If we delay, the Hero will take all the glory." With that, Ganondorf jogged, then ran, at their foe. And indeed, Link had already spurred Epona full tilt at the shining, terrible angel who fought the champion of the Goddess of Light. Sheik swallowed a curse, transformed back into Zelda, and teleported into battle.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The main thing that struck Link while he charged at Taboo was how _big_ the man was. Even in his 'normal' form, he had to be some ten feet tall. Bald and made of solid Light, he was an impressive figure even in his human-like form. The false angel regarded the gathered heroes thoughtfully and calmly, hand on his chin. Link fired a bomb arrow at their enemy; the explosion quite definitively got Taboo's attention.

Flying higher into the air, Taboo aimed his arm at the Hero and opened his hand wide. A massive volley of Light-shards shot at Link, who wheeled Epona around to dodge them. Standing in the stirrups, the Hylian carefully placed one foot, then the other on the saddle. With a cry and a leap, he hit the villain with a Spin Attack that tore halfway up Taboo's body. Link dropped and rolled, well out of the way when Pit fired his Light Arrows and Ganondorf threw his lightning orb. They struck Taboo simultaneously, blasting him back through the air.

The monster righted himself in mid-air, a look of rage on his face for an instant. Then he swirled in the air and transformed into a smiling, living blade three times his previous size and flew at Pit. The angel dodged, if just barely. Link, who had been in Taboo's path, managed to raise his shield in time, but was still knocked back several feet. _Ow._ He shook his head to clear it. That helped, but not as much as he would have liked. #Navi?#

#I can't get a lock,# she replied dizzily, clinging to his hair in the safety of his hat, #but I have a sense of him. No particular weaknesses, but he doesn't like the Power to Repel...Evil...whoa, do you feel that?#

He did. Link turned to see Zelda, overflowing with power, summoning her Light Bow. The arrow she had nocked on it was filled with the magical might the princess channeled. _One of Luigi's Smash Balls!_ Link realized immediately. _Except Zelda's using it all at once!_ With grim focus, Zelda unleashed her Light Arrow, and even Taboo reeled from the titanic blow.

The Hero's eyes bulged at their enemy's massive counterstroke: a dragon's head that pulsed with massive Light force. Link ran between Taboo and Zelda, held sword and shield defensively before him, summoned the Iron Boots, and braced himself. The princess gasped behind him, then Link's world filled with searing, murderous Light. It only lasted a second, but the Hero's entire body felt the blow. Dismissing the boots, he rolled to one side and quickly swallowed a potion. Relief thundered through Link, worry echoing with it. _I can't keep this up for much longer. None of us can._

Driving the thought home, Medusa glared at the ongoing battle and pointed at them. Another serpent flew from her head, towards the heroes. They all evaded its earth-shaking landing, but it slid around the Hero and towered over him, hissing malevolently. Supernatural toxin glistened on its fangs, glittering with tainted mana. Taboo circled around for another pass at Pit, slapping the ground around the winged warrior. The angel didn't quite evade this barrage, caught at the edge of the shockwaves before stumbling back. Link wanted to help him, but the venomous snake darted between the Hero and the warring angels. It was massive, thirty yards long at the very least, with fangs the size of broadswords. #Zelda, can you help Pit?# he sent.

#You're not serious!# the princess replied desperately, racing to his side. #We'll help him together, after we deal with that monstrosity!#

In spite of himself, Link smiled. #I'm touched. Still, Ganon's not the heart of this invasion, not this time. We have to defeat Medusa's champion. This thing is merely one of her tools.# Carefully, the Hero of Light strode forward. The snake chose that moment to strike, which was exactly what Link had been hoping for. He rolled to one side, then leaped and spun. The Master Sword lopped the serpent's head off with a single blow. #Whoa. That was a lot easier than I thought.#

#Yeah, and that's why! Look out!# Navi warned, pointing psychically at Medusa. Link looked up just in time to see the dark goddess' face contort with fury, and another serpent flew at them. Link raised the Blade of Evil's Bane, prepared to cut the thing down as it attacked, but an explosion rocked the thing's head as it approached. The Hero forced himself not to laugh as Solid Snake tossed them a jaunty salute as he evaded his longer-haired nemesis. Then he leaped forward and cut the dazed creature down.

Zelda chose that moment to appear at his side. "Well done, Hero, but we still have these twin dangers to face. There's also Ganon..." she trailed off, as Hero and Princess turned to watch their counterparts battle the towering King of Evil. The Hero of Winds appeared to be doing well, though he'd clearly taken a few wounds. Tetra was wielding Light Arrows against their massive enemy, but they were more on the order of Pit's sacred weapon rather than the power Zelda had wielded briefly.

"They can handle him. Come on," Link replied, and they raced towards the angels just ahead of yet another serpent. They slowed, staring in amazement at the calm Ganondorf striding in the other direction. "Ganondorf?"

"I will deal with the serpent," the Gerudo explained, raising one power-filled hand. "Call your steed to you and destroy Medusa's angel." He continued to walk towards the dire snake, a scimitar appearing in his free hand.

Zelda watched Ganondorf warily, as if he were venomous himself, but Link merely nodded and whistled. Epona raced from the shelter of an alcove to their side. "Ready, Zel?" he asked simply, holding out his hand. She took it, they mounted the powerful mare together, and rode towards the dueling angels.

#Now what?# the princess asked, Din's Fire forming in her hands.

Link grimaced and stared piercingly at Taboo. #Now we bring that false angel to earth.# Their enemy stopped blinking around with his rapid teleports and blurred, his back seeming to divide. Multiple copies of the villain flew out from the opening, and it took all the Hero's riding skill to dodge through them. Nevertheless, they reached Taboo, and as one, they unleashed their firepower on him, Link firing bomb arrows with abandon and Zelda dealing out Din's Fire relentlessly.

Taboo's counterattack was a long whip, reminiscent of the weapon Samus wielded outside her armor. Link raised his shield again, to defend – but the whip coiled around him like a thing alive! It tore him from the saddle, and the last thing he heard before being flung through the air was Zelda's gasp of horror. The world spun as the evil angel swung the Hero around once, twice, then slammed him into the ground like a lassoed goat. _I never treated a goat like that,_ Link objected to himself at the thought, struggling to regain his footing.

Fortunately, it appeared that the Hero of Light had been enough of a distraction that Pit had gained an opening. He flew in, blade-bow spinning and tearing through Taboo. When that brought the rival angel near to ground, Pit hammered him with a fierce blow, then stabbed forward with both blades.

Taboo's reaction was lost in the explosion. Wave after wave of dark energy burst out from his skin of Light. He fell, receding into a distance that was 'away' from all three dimensions they existed in. _Back into the gap between dimensions? This so-called 'subspace' the others spoke of?_ Link wondered, managing to rise to his feet. Zelda rode to him, spurring Epona desperately. He found a smile for her somehow.

#Stubborn Hero,# Navi muttered mutinously, feeling dizzy herself. #Will you worry at your searing puzzles later?#

The Hero nodded wearily. #Agreed. There's still Medusa, after all.# His gaze slid to Ganondorf, who was kinetically tossing aside serpent after serpent cast from Medusa's brow. The contempt and anger on her face had melted away to a large degree, and fear was slowly replacing them. #We need to finish this, quickly.#

Again, the goddess' hand stretched out, but this time, no giant snakes flew out. "Ganon," she rasped. The porcine warrior ignored her, continuing to battle Wind-Link and Tetra. Light-Link, Zelda and Ganondorf strode towards the entrance to the mines, Parthena's champion flying above and ahead of them. "Ganon!" Medusa wailed. Motes of Twilight began to form around where Phantom Ganon fell. "I grant you existence beyond death," she said, power streaming desperately from her. "I grant you strength, speed, power near unto invincibility! In return, I ask only – destroy your enemies!"

Phantom Ganon began to coalesce and take form, his body being restored to its original might. Then it grew to twice his previous size. Four times. Ten times. Though an emptiness echoed in his eyes, the phantom's hateful rictus spoke volumes. The spear whirled in his hands, and the air itself howled in a semblance of pain. "Mmm. This could be a problem," Ganondorf noted.

"You THINK?" Navi shot back.

Link regarded the titan coolly. "No," he replied, hefting the Master Sword calmly. "No, I don't believe so. Pit, can you get past that creature?" The angel looked from the Hero to the giant and back, then nodded slowly. "Then we can keep it busy. Go."

Pit frowned, but he went. Link strode towards the walking tower of a man, the Power to Repel Evil a comfort in his hand. "I sincerely hope you have a plan, Hero," Zelda said quietly. To that, Link merely smiled, the shield vanishing from his right arm to be replaced with a Clawshot. _This is it,_ the Hero thought grimly. _I hope I'm right about this, or I'm about to begin the shortest duel in history._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Midna tossed the few remaining Stalfos aside with a sweep of her hair. "Anybody left, Dalkin?"

Her Dark Hero laughed and spun, slashing through a pack of space pirates and Primids. "Not worth mentioning." He pointed with his blade at the approaching reinforcements. "Ever since the Emblem Lord showed up, we've been running out of goons." Dalkin glanced down the path, where another azure-haired swordsman was running towards Ike and his band. "That should be interesting..."

"On to Medusa, then?" Midna asked, floating over to his shoulder. _I'd still rather be myself again,_ the Twili thought, _but I'd forgotten the advantages of this form._

Dalkin nodded and strode towards the goddess, slowing when he scanned the battlefield. Wind-Link and Tetra were still fighting their Ganon. Samus, Rock, Captain Falcon and Snake were leading a small force against their dark replicas, a cyborg Ridley, and Sigma. Behind the force they fought was what looked like a giant brain in a jar. Checking on his Light counterpart, Dalkin nodded again when Taboo exploded and fell away from the Realm. "Maybe we should help some of the others. Medusa's offensive abilities do seem limited."

"She invested too much of her power in creating this army," the Twilight Princess agreed. "We'll help kid Link and his pirate girlfriend take out Ganon the sequel, then pass on the benefits of more heroes with free time on their...hands...Din, Nayru and Farore," she swore quietly.

Together, they watched Phantom Ganon's resurrection in horror. "Change in plans?" Dalkin asked dryly, though his voice shook a hair.

"No, we're going to ignore the sixty-foot-tall force of evil incarnate," Midna drawled. She hugged Dalkin's arm for a moment, then floated ahead of him. Her eyes remained locked on the figure towering over the battlefield. "Okay, you go help the kids. I'm going with Link and company to tackle the walking siege tower."

"They're not children," Dalkin sighed, then straightened in alarm. "Wait, we're splitting up?"

Midna laughed musically. "Don't worry. I'm sure you can take care of yourself for five minutes." Before he could decide whether to object to separating or the idea that _he_ was the one who needed backup, the imp darted through the air towards Zelda. She was gliding around Titan Ganon, firing blasts at his legs. Ganondorf had his swords drawn and was waiting for his oversized counterpart to approach. She didn't dare watch Link Clawshot his way up their massive foe.

Finally she reached Zelda's side, and lent a hand – literally – by throwing a few punches at Titan Ganon's shin. "What's that crazy Hero doing?" she sighed.

"Trying to get up to where the Master Sword can do the most good," Zelda explained, her voice almost even. Midna could hear the worry in the princess' voice, though. _Maybe because I know how she feels. Reckless Hero!_

_So maybe someone who can_ fly _should go help him. Quick on the uptake as always, Princess of Twilight,_ Midna berated herself. She raced towards the giant phantom, then up its leg to catch up with the Hero in moments. He was just ascending to the solid ghost's belt when she reached Link, who yelped in so familiar a way she couldn't help a laugh. "What would you do without me, Mr. Important Hero?" Midna asked fondly.

"I'm glad I don't have to find out," Link replied with a grin, stabbing the giant in the side. He winced and jerked away, but the reaction was as if to a sting or pinprick. The Hero nodded. "Wolf form?"

"What else?" Midna asked, calling forth Zant's old magic. Link transformed, barely hanging on to Phantom Ganon's belt for a moment. Then Midna darted into the crook of his elbow, Link leaping with magical speed to her side. Two more jumps like that, and he was on the villain's shoulder. For a moment, it gave them a broad view of the battle. Mario was, to the surprise of approximately no one, finishing his defeat of his old nemesis. Samus was unloading on Sigma, there being no sign of Rock's dark counterpart. Rock himself hit Meta-Ridley with a blast that sent him reeling towards Phantom Ganon. Sonic's dark clone was fighting _with_ Luigi against a robot duplicate of the speedster. Ike and Marth were fighting back to back against a sorcerer's summoned monsters, Ike briefly glancing behind him and nearly tripping in his shock at seeing the legendary first Emblem Lord fighting beside him.

All in all, the battle seemed to be going well, except for poor, exhausted Pit, who was challenging Medusa's might single-handed. Midna and Wolf Link shared a look and a thought. _None of these other battles will matter if Medusa wins._ With a flicker of magical might, the Twili restored Link to his Hylian form. "Any ideas?" she asked.

"First, get that Smash Ball," Link said, pointing at the now-familiar mana loop swirling nearby. He didn't say what 'second' might be, but Midna was able to guess when he leaped into the opening between the floating half-skull and the base of where a neck would be if the ghostly nemesis had one.

"Link – !" Snarling and gritting her teeth, she flew from Phantom Ganon's shoulder and crushed the whorl of power in her crimson grip. Its power flowed through her, filling her, surging through her and her Fused Shadows. The seven limbs of raw Twilight sprang from her newly empowered form, and she grappled the surprised titan with six of them. The last stabbed him with her Twilight Spear. "Not so cocky now, are you, Ganny?" she said, her voice booming from the sheer force raging through her.

"Indeed!" Ganondorf shouted from below, a burst of red and gold power screaming from his outstretched hands. The magic struck his eldritch duplicate in the chest, sending it reeling. Then multiple slashes appeared through the skull from within, and it exploded to reveal a leaping, almost flying Link emerging from it.

Medusa screamed while Phantom Ganon fell over, collapsing and disintegrating. "DIE!" she cried, terrible beams firing from her eyes. Pit deflected those aimed at him with a Mirror Shield too big for him to wield one-handed. Midna covered for Link with most of her Twilight arms, catching him with one and reeling him in. Feeling the mana fading and her body shrinking, she pulled him in and reached out. The Hero clasped her hands with his, and for a moment she tried to reach out with her hair. Then she realized that his hands and hers were the _same size._

Link smiled fondly at her stunned expression. "Are you so beautiful," he whispered, "that you have no words left?" He nodded towards Pit and Parthena, the goddess still chained to the amulet on Medusa's necklace. "Can you give me a lift?"

"You _are_ joking, Hero of Light," Midna replied, unable to force the smile from her face. Then she spun them both around and shot Link towards Pit and his goddess. _Be careful, Link._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_Think fast, Hero,_ Link thought grimly. The Goddess of Darkness was growing larger and closer with disturbing speed. Pit was bravely fighting off her petrifying gaze and the flying serpents, all the while struggling to free the Goddess of Light.

A furious buzzing erupted in his cap. #Wait, you told Midna to throw you at Medusa and you _didn't have a plan?#_ Navi blurted frantically.

#Well, I originally intended to free Parthena,# Link explained, #but it doesn't look like the Master Sword will break those chains. Hm.# He looked at the bonds holding Parthena, then the links of the necklace. #It's okay, Navi, I've got this under control.# Link shifted into a lunging pose, Master Sword pointed directly at Medusa. _I hope._

The mistress of the underworld looked down a moment before he struck and her eyes bulged. Ghosts and illusions taking the form of every horror imaginable appeared around him – skulltulas with clawed hands, screaming images of Rusl and Uli being tortured by Bulblins, Redead with Zant's face leering at him – but worst of all were the images of Zelda. Puppet Zeldas, dead Zeldas slain by every means imaginable, broken Zeldas bowing at the feet of Ganons, shattered Zeldas of stone and crystal all flew past him, or he through them.

Link gritted his teeth and plunged forward. The Blade of Evil's Bane struck home, breaking the chain and biting into Medusa's collarbone. The dark goddess screamed in agony while Link grabbed the broken chain before it could slip away. The other end began to snake up around Medusa's neck. "Pit!" he shouted, but he needn't have worried; the young angel flew over and grabbed the amulet before it could slide more than a few feet. The Hero released his end, and Pit flew downward with his beloved goddess.

And thus he was alone, facing the wrath of Medusa, his only potential defense all that kept him from plunging into the volcano below. Link gripped the Master Sword's hilt tightly, lest the goddess' rippling outrage throw him off. She glared at him with endless hatred, eyes blazing with power and death. "You _dare,"_ she snarled, "defy the Goddess of Darkness, ruler of the underworld!"

Link shrugged. There was little else he could do.

"I will end your legend, Hero!" she roared. The lava below roiled and shot up in deadly jets. "Your bond to your precious princess will be forever broken, and you will wander the realms in fruitless reincarnations for all eternity!"

"Zelda is the legend," Link whispered. "I am merely her sword." He shifted, planting his feet for a desperate jump. "Unless you are presenting some alternative to me, there is little else to discuss"

Medusa's gaze turned cunning. "You would bargain, then?" she asked, her voice echoing like thunder. "You would seek that I spare your miserable life?"

For a moment, Link hung there, bracing himself. He looked down. "Well..." A streak of white, gold and blue shot up towards them. The Hero looked back up and smiled. "...no, to be honest. I just needed a little time for reinforcements to arrive."

Pit flew into sight, his own body transformed as Midna's had been. He was fully grown, muscles rippling, the knives that had been the halves of his bow grown to full-sized swords. Hair cascaded below a shining sapphire halo down to his shoulders, and wings that had allowed him to glide and struggle into the air now spread wide to let him soar. Pit slammed the hilts of his blades together, drew back the energy string of the newly-formed bow, and let fly.

Medusa screamed twice. She wailed in terror when she saw her nemesis restored and risen to face her, and she cried out in agony when the bolt struck her between the eyes. Shrinking with lightning speed, she as much fell as shriveled.

That, however, left Link hanging in mid-air without support. He, too, plunged through the air, eyes darting in the hopes of finding some solution to his deadly dilemma. Fortunately, he had many friends present, and it was a race to catch him. Pit had nearly reached him when Midna soared to his side and held out her hand. He floated gently to a stop by her side. "What _would_ you do without me, Hero?" she asked, sighing in relief.

"I'm _still_ glad I don't have to find out," Link replied with a laugh. The other villains started winking out of existence below them, many of them clearly glad to flee, but others struggling to resist the collapse of Medusa's magic. Meta-Ridley clawed at the air to reach Rock before he vanished, while Bowser – who'd shrank back to normal size a moment before – disappeared in the middle of turning tail to flee. Wind-Link's Ganon collapsed before he faded away as well. A ragged cheer rose from the assembled heroes below.

Medusa struck the edge of the caldera hard, shuddering and collapsing twice before she finally managed to sit upright. Pit landed in front of her, an expression on his face that Link took a moment to recognize. It was clearly alien to his face: rage. Just before Midna deposited the Hero on the volcano's edge, the angel summoned a second mighty arrow and aimed it as he had the first.

Strangely, Ganondorf chose that moment to stride up next to Link. "Nothing to say, Hero?"

"I'm impressed that you could climb Death Mountain," Link noted dryly.

"Teleportation," the Gerudo King explained. "Aren't you going to stop him?"

Link looked from Ganondorf to Pit, who was still aiming his arrow at the Goddess of Darkness. "No...please..." Medusa pleaded, waving one hand in the air in surrender. The Hero merely shook his head.

Ganondorf blinked and turned to look at the Hero. "Why not?"

For several seconds, they watched a nearly frozen tableau, its pictograph-like quality marred only by the burbling of lava and the tremble in the two figures. Medusa shuddered, and the tip of Pit's arrow quivered ever so slightly. Finally, with almost painful slowness, the angel lowered his weapon. Medusa collapsed in relief.

As if waiting for that moment, Zelda and Parthena teleported to the rim of Death Mountain. The princess strode to her Hero's side, while Parthena caressed Pit's hand. Link smiled. "I didn't have to." He looked back at Ganondorf. "If I had said something, though, Pit might never have been sure what he would have done."

The former King of Evil nodded. "Trust. Hrm." Then he collapsed. Link gasped and dropped to his knees by the Gerudo's side. Zelda was beside them both instatnly. "No," Ganondorf said before either could react. "No potions, no fairies, no healing spells. It is my time, and I am glad of it."

"Stubborn, all of you," Zelda said. Her reaction made no sense to Link. "You can still make something of your life, Ganondorf."

"You assume I seek redemption, Princess of Wisdom," Ganondorf said with a chuckle. Midna glared at him for a moment, shaking her head, but then she looked away. "I am what I have been. Let the next life offer its possibilities. I have little use for this one." He locked eyes with Link then. "I have but one request, Hero of Light. I would be burned, as my body was before. I will end as befits a King of the Gerudos."

Link nodded. "The volcano, then?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. He wiped some sweat from his former enemy's brow.

"Heh. One with Death Mountain. You are...kind..." Ganondorf's eyes fluttered. "...Hero...of...Time..." He exhaled. He did not breathe in.

Zelda hugged Link tightly. "Told you," she whispered to him. They stood as one. Together, Zelda and Midna held out their hands, and Ganondorf's body floated up.

"No," Link said, holding up his hand. Zelda blinked in surprise, but Midna merely sighed again and floated the body into Link's chest with a thump. The Hero shook his head, claimed Ganondorf's limp form, then walked to the very edge of the lava. With an ululating cry that he half-remembered from a life long past, he threw the corpse into the fiery lake. It bobbed once, then burst into flames. Link stepped back three paces and watched, letting his arm slip around Zelda's waist when she walked up to him and held him. The body never sank.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

### Epilogue

_The past._

_Link and Zelda strode through Peach's Castle arm in arm. "Well. That was exciting," Zelda said. Her Hero looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. The Princess of Destiny giggled. "It was, you know."_

" _Sure it was. Having a dodongo's jaws clamped to your leg is exciting, too," the Hero replied with a dry drawl. "I'll take a few rounds in the Smash ring with Captain Falcon any day." He smiled then, drawing his beloved wife closer. "For that matter, there's plenty of excitement to be had back home."_

" _You're getting bold," Zelda replied, her smile making it clear that she was not at all upset at the notion. "And just what sort of excitement might a Sheikah Lord and King of the Gerudos seek in boring old Hyrule Castle?" Link's smile turned cunning._

_A flash of light burst from one of the Realm portals, and Marth stumbled through looking singed and dazed. "Gods be good. I made it," he breathed, leaning on his knees._

_Link and Zelda dropped their banter immediately, racing to his side. "Marth! Farore, are you all right?" the Hero blurted._

_The Altean king looked up, and for a moment, he stared at Link as if seeing a stranger. "Link?" The Hylian nodded. "Hero of...Time?"_

" _Din, Nayru and Farore," Link swore, "don't tell me I've been stuck with_ another _title!"_

" _AH-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Marth blurted, throwing his arms around the utterly confused Hero._

_Zelda chuckled and shook her head, then put a hand on each of the men's shoulders and started steering them towards the kitchen. "I think there's a long story here. It'll sound better on a full stomach, I think."_

_Marth nodded. "Undoubtedly." He straightened, then regarded Zelda knowingly. "Do you have any particular cravings, Your Highness?"_

_The Princess of Destiny scowled. "Love of Nayru, Marth, just because a woman's hungry doesn't mean she's pregnant!"_

" _True enough," Marth admitted, shrugging, "but I'm rather confident that your line will continue for many years to come." Link and Zelda looked at each other in surprise. The Altean grinned. "Come. Let's get that food. It's an even longer story than you imagine..."_

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The present.

The wedding was a small, intimate affair.

Most of the kingdom was still recovering from a second invasion in less than a year. Crops had been disrupted and lives thrown into chaos. It seemed a poor time indeed for a great royal spectacle.

Celebrations were encouraged, of course. Every town and village was throwing a festival in the happy couple's honor. The Chosen Hero from a tiny village marrying the legendary Princess Zelda was truly a fairy tale come true, and everyone wanted to join in the revelry.

Most of Hyrule saw the marriage itself, however, as a solemn, sacred affair, and while the guest list had been impressive – everyone from the rulers of the Gorons and Zoras to great champions from other worlds – it had been kept manageable.

Aryll, herself once more, had fussed over her brother relentlessly. No one dared challenge the Hero on having a woman for his Best Man, though – not when her deadly Sheikah training had become common knowledge. The cute blonde girl that accompanied her everywhere that day, like some kid sister, remained a mystery to the end of their days, though.

The Twilight Princess made a truly odd Maid of Honor by Hylian standards. She was a walking defiance of tradition, "barely garbed" in her royal vestments, so the old guard of Hylian nobility saw it, but given how much she'd done for Hyrule, fewer dared whisper about her than Aryll. Midna enjoyed every moment of the stuff-shirts' discomfort.

Her companion, meanwhile, was a source of great mystery to most of Hyrule. A handsome, rakish figure, clearly Twili but looking like some long-lost brother of the Hero's, he smiled and slid through ceremony and banquet without so much causing a ripple in protocol, but there was something dangerous about him. Midna seemed glued to his side every time the ladies of Hyrule began staring, which was often.

Only four of the out-Realm warriors stayed for the wedding. One pair consisted of melancholy warriors, who wore ceremonial armor for the proceedings. They held hands every moment they could, and seemed unwilling for the day to end. Both seemed to be quite ordinary beorcs, save that the young man had the same striking blue hair that the great general Ike did.

The other pair were easily the most impetuous guests – or at least, the lady was. The young man was so well behaved that he reminded many of the Hero himself, but his companion simply would not be contained. From resting her boots on the tables to swallowing entire glasses of fine wine in a single gulp, the freebooting Tetra was the terror of the genteel, at least until she met a kindred spirit in Telma. The two became fast friends, and were last seen by the people of Hyrule wandering towards Telma's bar, the young lady's gentle companion following in a bit of a panic.

The Hero and Princess more than made up for the strange proceedings. The church priest couldn't help a smile at the endless love reflecting from one set of eyes to the other, and while they were gracious and welcoming to every guest down to the most distant nobility, each was the other's whole world. They glided through the ceremony with perfect grace, danced with joyous abandon at the reception, and generally kept the music, feasting and conversation going well into the night.

Zelda yawned when she saw that Link wasn't looking. It was traditional for the happy couple to...leave the proceedings early...but this was no ordinary wedding, and their guests were no ordinary people.

The princess' eyes flickered sadly to Samus and Rock, nursing small glasses of effervescent cider. She needed no special insight to know that they had each found someone special in the other, someone who finally understood the long, lonely hunt. Yet they could not remain together; their duties kept them in literally different worlds.

A moment's insight, an echo of the Triforce of Wisdom, thundered through her. She waved to Link and walked over to the pair. "Enjoying the evening?" she asked.

Both looked up, startled. "Ah, yes, Zelda," Samus said quietly. "I hope you are, as well."

Zelda nodded. "It has been a wonderful night. Love is the most powerful magic there is, after all." She leaned a touch closer. "It transcends time and space...even the myriad Realms. Though the wait may be long, somehow, against all odds, it finds a way." The pair blinked at her, then looked at each other in surprise. "Take care, hunters." The princess bowed and left. _I have no idea what a 'cyber-elf' is,_ she thought, still trying to parse the image she'd had of a ghostly form of energy flying to an artificial body in Samus' world, _but if anyone deserves a miracle, it's those two._

Even seeing Wind-Link alone at a table, looking weary, could not pry the smile off her face. "Oh dear," she said, and he stood the moment he heard her, "Tetra hasn't abandoned you, has she?"

The Hero of Winds chuckled, shaking his head fondly. "Oh, never, Your Highness. She's, ah, Telma says the right phrase is 'sleeping it off.'" Zelda laughed in kind. The young Hero's smile slipped, though. "It's just...well, she's trying not to think about it, but after all our searching and questing, we're no closer to finding a 'Hyrule of our own' than when we started out." He shrugged. "I keep thinking that the old king was wrong, that the original Hyrule _is_ our Hyrule...but he was so much older and wiser than me, and I know Tetra doesn't want to be a princess, let alone a queen."

Zelda nodded. _It does seem to be my night for giving advice._ She placed a hand on the brave young man's shoulder, smiling fondly. "Trust your instincts, Hero. One thing I have seen across Realm and time is that they always serve you well."

Wind-Link shook his head. "Even if I'm right, though, how will we undo the flood of the gods?"

"You'll find a way," Zelda said confidently. "You're Link. The Hero." She patted his shoulder once more. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Hero of my own to find." The Hero of Winds laughed more knowingly than she'd suspected and nodded.

At last, she found her own Hero talking to an astonished Ike, Soren looking happy and relieved on the Emblem Lord's arm. "...just don't know how it could have happened," she heard Ike say as she approached. "I mean...Marth! He's a legend!"

The Hero of Light grinned and clapped Ike on the arm. "Take it from me, friend. Time is a slippery thing. It's a riddle I mean to understand..." his eyes flickered over to Zelda. "...someday."

Soren smiled the first real smile Zelda had ever seen from him, and he bowed to her. "Your Highness." He pulled emphatically on the arm he held. "Come on, Ike. Let's give the two some privacy."

"Bully," Ike quipped, allowing the lithe man to drag him off.

"So," Link said, gazing into her eyes with a love that made Zelda feel like she was floating.

"So," she whispered back. "Just one more pair to see off." The princess slid closer to her Hero. "Then we can get on with that 'happily ever after' thing I've heard so much about." Link nodded. "You know, according to the legends, the Hero of Time and Princess of Destiny saw the world on their honeymoon–"

"I'll follow you to the ends of the earth if you wish," Link blurted, "but I've had enough adventure for a dozen lifetimes. Everything I want," he said with more confidence, squeezing her hands gently, "is right here."

Zelda caught her breath. _One more pair. That's it._ She tugged him gently along, and Link followed serenely. "Come on, you silver-tongued Hero. We've still got two friends waiting for us."

They strode up the tower stairs, soon reaching the highest room in the castle. It had been cleared of everything but the mirror Ganondorf had used to create Shadow Link. There, Midna and Dalkin were locked in an embrace that could have melted gold. Link and Zelda waited a moment, but the two hadn't noticed them. Finally, the Hero cleared his throat.

The reaction bordered on the comical. The Dark Hero stumbled back in such shock that he nearly fell over. The Twilight Princess ducked her head sheepishly, pulling her robe around in an uncharacteristically demure manner. "Well. Your gift for timing hasn't changed, Hero," Midna said with a wry laugh.

"You're welcome to stay the night, you know," Zelda replied with a smile of her own. Link took her hand, and she squeezed it back.

Dalkin frowned as he regained his balance and shook his head. "Bad idea. This mirror needs to be destroyed." He shrugged. "At least it won't be impossible for us to visit each other any more. Not exactly simple, mind you..."

"Travel through the Sacred Realm is not something to be done casually," Link said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Friendship is not a casual thing," Midna replied, caressing the Hero's cheek with the backs of her fingers. She sighed sadly. "Still, you're right, and so is Dalkin. We should..."

Though Midna trailed off there, Zelda knew what she meant. Together, the princesses of Light and Twilight concentrated, and a mirror intended for other purposes shuddered and obeyed their will, opening a portal to the Twilight Realm. "I pray," Zelda said, "that one day, there will be no need for our peoples to be separated by barriers and Realms."

Midna considered that for a second, then nodded. "Perhaps one day. Not today, though," she added with a grin. "I like my clouds of Twilight! Your sun is too harsh and your moon is eerie."

"Oh, brother," Dalkin said with an exaggerated sigh and a roll of his eyes. "I'd better get her home before she starts waxing poetic about our Realm again." He thumped Link on the shoulder. "Take care, Hero. Try not to be wound so tight, okay?" With a rogue's laugh, he leaped through the portal.

Just like that, they were the only three left again. Zelda wasn't sure where Navi had gotten to, but it didn't matter just then. None of them wanted to say goodbye, but what was left to say?

Fortunately, Midna knew. With a quick hug and a loving smile, she whispered three words just before she vanished, mirror and all.

"See you later..."

### THE END

The Legend of Zelda  
Parallel Hearts


End file.
